Best Friends Forever (version 2)
by Faberrittana99-03
Summary: Another version of BFF. *Emily and JJ meet differently. *JJ is age 3, Emily is 12. The Jareaus have a horrible family secret that has been kept hidden for decades. Everyone is involved and no one dares to utter a word. However, when Emily comes into the picture, as best friend and protector, their secrets will soon unravel. M chapters/scenes noted ahead of time.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I got bored and decided to do a different version of BFF. A few things first:**

 **The extended summary:**

 **This is another version of my BFF story. JJ and Emily meet differently. The** **Jareaus have a horrible family secret that has been kept hidden for decades. Everyone is involved and no one dares to utter a word about it. However, when Emily comes into the picture, as JJ's best friend and protector, the secrets will begin to unravel and soon, the entire community will learn the truth about their neighbors. M chapters/scenes will be noted ahead of time but the story will generally be a K+ or T rating.**

 **1\. This story will have Elijah, Rosaline, JJ, and Emily. Emily and JJ's extended family; grandparents, cousins, etc. will also make appearances.**

 **2\. JJ is 3 years old and Emily is 12 years old. Different ages meaning the way they meet is different. This story begins in the summer of 1982, JJ is in preschool not kindergarten. In January of 1983, Emily becomes a babysitter for Sandy and Michael watching Rosaline and JJ. Emily babysits after school, on weekends, and during the summer.**

 **3\. Because this is a different version, Jacob will not attack JJ. However, as in the summary, there are some very bad things that are happening/will happen.**

 **The people included in this story:**

 **Sandy and Michael Jareau:  
Elijah Alexander Jareau  
Rosaline Alexandra Jareau  
Jennifer Anne Jareau**

 **Maria and Caleb Scott:  
Elizabeth Grace and Margaret Evelyn "Eliza/Maggie"**

 **Amber and Jack Jareau:  
Madeline Christine  
Natalie Rose and Leslie Faye "Nattie/Lee-Lee"**

 **Elizabeth and James Prentiss:  
Emily Elizabeth  
Emily's extended family; grandparents, cousins, etc.**

 **Please send me prompts! Anything from school related to what activities you Emily to do with JJ and Ros while babysitting. Birthdays, vacations, injuries, little misbehaviors, first times (first bike, first broken bone.), etc. etc.**

 **The dates have been changed. Instead of starting in the summer of 1988, it will be 1982. The birthdays are:**

 **Madeline: April 3rd, 1972.  
Leslie/Natalie: September 10th, 1979.**

 **Elizabeth/Margaret: January 1st, 1977.**

 **Elijah: January 1st, 1970.  
Rosaline: June 15th, 1972.  
Jennifer: July 12th, 1978.**

 **Emily: March 26th, 1970.**

 **FUTURE CHARACTERS:**

 **Baby siblings for Emily.  
Baby sibling for Elijah & Jenny.  
Baby brother for Maddie, Natalie, and Leslie**

 **NOTE: JJ's cousin and Emily's mother are both named "Elizabeth". However, JJ's cousin will be just Eliza/Liza. If she is called Elizabeth, you'll know the difference between her and Emily's mom.**


	2. Week 1

**_Week 1_**

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 73.9/74°  
Low Temp.: 54°  
Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: K+**

 **Emily: 11 years old (going on 12).  
Elijah: 12 years old.  
Rosaline: 9 years old (going on 10).  
Jennifer: 3 years old (going on 4).**

 **A/N: Rosa, Jen, and Emily have known each other for 2 and a half weeks. JJ was a late talker. She began at 13 months instead of 9 months. She also has a speech problem and will mostly communicate by nods, head shakes, points, mumbles, etc.**

 **Because of this, Jen is on a 28-month-old's speech and partly developmental level. To help with this, Emily is going to teach JJ sign language so she can communicate better.** **When I do have her speak, I will have the "normal" sentence in italics, to better understand.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _I'm in summer 1982._**

* * *

 ** _*East Allegheny Park*_**

On June 3rd, 1982, Emily makes her way to the park. She's eager to get there to see if Rosaline and Jennifer Jareau have arrived yet.

When she does get to the park, she sees three-year-old Jennifer Jareau waiting eagerly at the fence. Her older sister, Rosaline, and older brother, Elijah, are over on the playground equipment.

When Emily gets to the fence, she has just enough time to get inside it before she is bombarded by a blur of blonde curls.

"Emmy! Ooh's bah!" The little blonde yells. _Emmy, yous back!_

Emily smiles, as she is finally able to understand the little blonde. It was so hard those first few days when she could not understand JJ, which would end in tears for Jen and sadness for Emily.

However, the past 2 and a half weeks, spending time at the park after school and on the weekends, have really paid off. Now, she is near an expert in understanding JJ with only a little trouble here and there. It is the fastest anyone has ever connected with the little girl and the fastest anyone has been able to understand her.

"Hey! Of course, I am. I promised, didn't I?" She picks the younger girl up.

JJ nods enthusiastically. "Come p'ay, Emmy!"

"Okay, okay. Let's go." The two run over to the swings and Emily helps JJ up into the seat.

"Now, remember, hold on really tight. Okay?"

"'Ay!" JJ tightens her grip on the chains and Emily begins pushing her. ' _Kay!_

After doing that for a few minutes, the two girls tire out.

"All right, _Ladybug_ , what do you want to do now?" Emily asks as she lifts the girl back up and places her on her hip. JJ points over to something across the park. Emily follows and sees that she is pointing in the direction of the monkey bars.

They are set apart from the rest of the playground equipment as the park has two sizes, one that is a height for kids from 3 to about 6 or 7 and then the bigger one for older kids and teenagers who like to do flips and hang upside down.

"You wanna do the monkey bars?" Emily clarifies and when she gets a nod, Emily brings JJ over to the monkey bars. She goes to the smaller one. It is still going to be big because Jen is very small for her age, being about 2'6 and 28.5 lbs.

 **(**this will be explained later**).**

"Okay, JJ, hold on real tight and I will hold your legs. Then grab ahold of the bar in front of you and swing forward." Emily gently instructs even as she sees fear crossing JJ's face. The almost-four-year-old wants so bad to be able to do the monkey bars, but she is simply too afraid.

"No!" JJ suddenly yells and let's go of the bar she is dangling from causing Emily to tighten her grip and catch the preschooler.

"Woah! Hey! What's the matter, Jen? I thought you wanted to do the monkey bars?"

"No," JJ repeats and buries her face in Emily's neck. "Me doh' wuhna do'it. ' Ay?" _Me don't wanna do it. 'Kay?_

"Okay. We don't have to do them. How 'bout we do something else?" She thinks for a moment. "How 'bout the slide? You want to go down the slide?"

JJ's head pops back up and she beams. "Yes! Sigh, p'ease!" The preschooler cheers. Then she adds, "Emmy cuh too, 'Ay?" _Yes! Slide, please! Emmy come, too, 'kay?_

"Okay, I'll come too. You wanna go down the big slide?" She turns so JJ can see the tall slide.

"No." JJ shakes her head, pointing to an object in the distance. Emily sighs.

"Okay, baby doll, you need to use your words to tell me. Can you use your big girl words and tell me which slide you want to go on?"

JJ nods and points again, this time adding, "Me wuhuh do da lil' sigh. 'Ay?" _Me wanna do the little slide. 'Kay?_

Emily nods too and takes the preschooler over to the 'little kid' slide. "All right, up you go." She helps the little girl up the stairs and then to sit on the slide.

"Emmy, ooh guhuh come, too?" The preschooler asks. _Emmy, you gonna come, too?_

"I'm too big for this slide, Jay. But I'll go down the big slide with you." JJ goes down the slide and beams at the bottom. She throws her hands up in the air, something Emily has learned is her silent way of saying, 'pick me up'. She swings the preschooler around and carries her on her hip.

The little blonde rests her head in the crook of her new best friend's neck and sighs. She reaches up and plays with Emily's locket that James had gotten her a few weeks prior as a way of saying, 'you survived elementary school and are going on to junior high'.

"Pitty 'ing, Emmy." She whispers. Emily is confused for a moment, as she doesn't know what JJ means. She looks down and thinks that maybe JJ has confused the heart-shaped locket part for an actual ring. She decides not to make a big deal out of it.

"This is my necklace. My daddy got it for me." Emily whispers back. The two stay silent, Emily can tell JJ is thinking really hard about something.

"Emmy," The little girl sighs. "If _I…_ do da bih sigh, ooh do'it, 'oo? 'Ay?" _If_ I _… do the big slide, you do it, too. 'Kay?_

"Of course, I will. You wanna go down it?" She clarifies. The preschooler nods and Emily moves quickly over to the tall slide. She helps JJ up the steps and they make it all the up before what they are doing catches up with the young girl.

As Emily is getting JJ situated in her lap, the younger girl gets a glimpse of how high up they are.

"Woah!" JJ leans back against Emily. "Dat high, Emmy. No bih sigh, 'ay, Emmy? No bih sigh." _That high, Emmy. No big slide, 'kay, Emmy? No big slide._

"Yes, big slide," Emily tells her. "Close your eyes, baby doll, and lean back against me. Come on, sweetie," She coaxes the young girl. "Just your eyes. It's not that scary, I promise. It's actually really fun." JJ does as she is told and the two slide down.

At the bottom, JJ opens her eyes and beams when she sees she is at the bottom. Rosaline and Elijah run over and praise their baby sister for doing the 'big girl' slide.

"I dih'it!" JJ squeals. "Emmy, I dih'it!" Emily is beginning to also realize that while Jen uses 'me', she can also say 'I'. That is probably one of the reasons she isn't too concerned about the little blonde's speech. After all, everyone learns and grows at their own pace.

"You did do it, baby! Emmy's so proud of you!" Emily replies with the same enthusiasm.

"Jenny," Elijah shouts as he runs over. "You did it, baby sis! You went down the big slide!"

"Good job, Jenny!" Rosaline praises next causing the younger girl to beam even more with all of the attention she is suddenly getting. "You did it!"

"Me did'ih! Me did'ih! Dudda, Sissy, Me did'ih!" The little girl does her happy dance and then grabs Emily's hand.

"Emmy! 'Ell maw-me!" She pulls on Emily's hand. _Emmy! Tell mommy!_

"Are you ready to go home, baby sis?" Elijah asks. "We can tell mommy and daddy."

"Yes! Yes! 'Ell mamma an' dada!"

Emily swings the younger girl back up and puts her on her hip. Then the four make their way back to the Jareaus' household to tell of JJ's major accomplishment.

* * *

 ** _*Jareau Household*_**

Back at their house, JJ opens the door and comes running into the kitchen as fast as her three-year-old legs can carry her.

"Maw-me! Baba! Guess what! I did'ih! I did'ih!" She runs over to Sandy who is making lunch at the stove.

"Hey, baby!" Sandy greets. "How was the park?"

"Good! I bib'it, Maw-me!" She shouts again, jumping up and down.

"What did you do, sweetie?"

"Me-me, um…uh, boed dow da bih sigh, Maw-me! Me dih'it!"

Sandy beams at her youngest daughter. "You did?! Oh, that's great, baby! Mommy's so proud of you! Come here." She scoops JJ up and gives her a big hug.

Just then, Michael walks in with the rest of the kids.

"Oh Michael, you'll never guess what JJ did at the park." She tells her husband.

"No, Maw-me!" JJ shouts. "I 'ell Dada."

"Oh, ok. You tell daddy what you did."

"What did you do at the park, _Peanut?"_ He asks.

"I-I-I, I-I-I," JJ gets caught up in the excitement and begins having a hard time speaking. Emily bends down beside her and places her hands on the blonde's shoulders.

"JJ, slow down, _Love_. Take a breath, okay," JJ does so, breathing in deeply a couple of times. "Good girl! Now, tell your daddy what you did at the park." This is said gently, as Emily speaks to JJ the same she does to all her cousins who are under the age of 10.

"Me boed dow' da bih sigh!" She shouts excitedly causing Michael to beam also. _Me goed down the big slide!_

"That's great, baby! I'm so proud of you, Peanut!"

"Okay, guys," Sandy regains everyone's attention. "Lunch is ready. Emily, sweetheart, are you staying for lunch?"

"Yes!" JJ cuts Emily off. "Save, Emmy! P'ease!" Emily has a tiny smile at that, as JJ called the word "stay" as "save." She wonders if the little preschooler notices it or not.

"I guess I'm staying," Emily says and smiles as JJ cheers and then proceeds to tell Emily where to sit.

* * *

 **Here is the first chapter. Just some fluff. A little note about Jen's speech. A couple of years ago, I took a class in 12th grade that allowed me to go to the preschool and help a teacher with their class. My class had 3- and 4-year-olds. Some spoke with ' _I_ ' and some used ' _me_ ' when referring to themselves. Also, they did not speak as well as I thought 3- and 4-year-olds did.**

 **This plus her language issues is what I am basing JJ speech on. Like I said above, she will communicate with nods, headshakes, etc., and Emily will be teaching her sign language. :)**

 **Please review!**

 **End notes: When JJ is excited, upset, or worried, she will mispronounce some words. The following are just a few of the ones she will mispronounce. As the story progresses, there will be more words that she mispronounces.**

 **Mamma. This will become "Nawnaw". That is 'Mamma' said with an 'n' not an 'm'.**

 **Dada. JJ will continue to call Michael this until she is about 6. Then she will say "Daddy". Dada/Daddy will become "Baba" or "Babby" when she is in an uncalm state.**

 **Bubba. This will be "Dudda" or "Dubda".**

 **Did. This will be "Bib" or "** **bid".**


	3. Week 3

**_Week 3_**

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 84°  
Low Temp.: 57.9/58°  
Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Criminal or its characters. I own all characters not associated with the show.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating; T to be safe.**

 **A/N: Once again, I will be changing JJ's speech. When she does speak with words, I will put the sentence in italics to better understand what she said. :)**

 **Words in _bold and italic_ are words in sign language.  
Words in _bold, italic, and underline_ are words spoken and signed.**

 **Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, June 15th, 1982_**

* * *

 ** _*June 15th. Jareau household*_**

Two weeks later Emily heads over to the Jareaus' house for Rosaline's tenth birthday party. Rosa is having a pink and black themed party with a chocolate and white cake. She also has light pink and black balloons with hot pink streamers and a big banner displaying "Happy 10th Birthday, Rosaline!" in zebra-striped hot and light pink and black colors.

When she arrives and enters the house, Emily is immediately bombarded once again by a blur of blonde curls. She smiles as she greets the little girl with a kiss on her head. "Hi, _Babydoll_. How are you?"

"Hi. Emmy!" JJ greets as she hugs Emily's legs and then asks to be picked up. "Me good! 'Ess what!"

"What?"

"Ess!" JJ smiles as she leans her head in the crook of Emily's neck and plays with her necklace again.

"Hmm…," Emily pretends to think for a moment. "Is it your birthday?" She asks.

" ** _No_** , Emmy! 'Ess uh'in!" _Guess again!_

"Well, is it your bubba's birthday?" Emily guesses again. JJ sighs dramatically while rolling her eyes.

"Emmy, you'a not-not, um…not'uh bad sayer." She says in a very dramatic voice causing Emily to giggle. Emily has also noticed that JJ has trouble with opposites as well as calling one thing a different word. Here, she uses "not a bad sayer" when she meant "not a good guesser."

"Well, I'm sorry you think that, baby. But you know what?"

"What, Emmy?"

"I was just messing with you. I know whose birthday it is. It's your sissy's birthday. But I can't seem to remember how old she is. Can you help me remember?" She asks and JJ beams as she nods really fast.

"Yes! Sissy's 'is meh-ee!" She thinks very hard, not being able to remember what number her mom told her earlier. _Yes! Sissy's this many!_

"Um…'is?" She holds up all ten fingers. Emily beams at the younger girl. _Um…this?_

"That's right, Jay! Rosie is turning ten years old today." She sets the younger girl down and takes her hand. "Where is everyone anyway?"

"Dey's da woom. Dey's makin' stuff!"

"They're making stuff?" JJ nods. "What are they making?"

JJ lifts her shoulders up and down with her hands palms up.

"Well, why don't we go find out? Let's go to the kitchen, okay? And tell your mommy that I'm here." The two go into the kitchen where they find it to be in the middle of a mess.

Rosaline and six of her other friends, plus some other kids Emily has never seen before, are all set up with markers, glitter, glue, and every other crafty item along with what looks like kid-sized aprons.

Emily lets JJ tug her over to where the adults are, watching the kids and having conversations among themselves.

"Hello, Emily. It's nice of you to come. Why don't you go get an apron from Maria and then just take a seat anywhere you'd like?" She points to a woman a couple of feet away and then adds, "Jenny, will you show Emily who Aunt Maria is?" when Emily looks confused.

JJ nods and the two go over to Maria.

"Aun' M'ia! 'Is'iz Emmy-lee!" _Aunt Maria! This is Emmy-lee!_

"Well, hello, Emily," Maria greets. "It's nice to finally meet you. JJ has spoken so much about you. My name is Maria and this is my husband Caleb Scott." She points to a man standing next to her. "Honey, this is Emily, Jenny's friend from the park."

Caleb smiles as he is finally able to put a name to a face. "Hello, Emily."

Maria then points out the kids Emily has yet to meet. "The set of twins over there with their hair pulled back are our daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret."

Maria points to a set of twins at the next table. "The youngest set of twins at the next table is Leslie and Natalie. And the little girl next to them is their sister, Madeline. Their parents are Jack and Amber Jareau." She points to another woman and man.

Amber and Jack walk over to them. "Hello, you must be Emily. It's nice to finally put a name to the person that JJ is constantly talking about." Amber tells her.

Jack rests his hand on JJ's shoulder. The little preschooler tenses up and her bright smile dims just a tiny bit. Emily notices this but as it seems no one else does, she decides not to bring it up right away.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Emily," The man greets and his voice sends chills down Emily's back. She tightens her hold on the preschooler's hand and notices that JJ returns with the same strong grip.

She glances up and Emily can see the tiniest bit of fear in her blue eyes. Emily picks her up and holds her on the hip furthest away from Jack.

"Jenny, why don't you go with Uncle Jack and let him help you guys with your aprons?" Amber suggests. Jack smiles and nods in agreement and as he tries to take Jenny from Emily's arms, the little blonde tightens her grip on Emily's neck.

Her eyes widen just the tiniest bit and she shakes her head. **_"No,_ _Emmy_ _do it_**. **_'Ay Emmy_**?"

She turns her frightened eyes to Emily and the brunette nods. "Yeah, okay. I'll help you with your apron. Why don't you go get your apron and pick out a spot at one of the tables for us? All right?" She goes to put the preschooler down and as soon she does JJ moves closer to her.

Emily bends down and whispers, " ** _It's O.K., baby. _**Just get an **_apron _** and go ** _ sit down_**."

"Emily, why don't you let me help JJ with her apron?" Jack offers as he steps toward JJ.

"No, Mr. Jareau," Emily stops him. "That's okay. I can help JJ with her apron." Emily grabs a folded up apron and goes over to the table.

"Okay, _Babydoll._ Let's start **_decorating_**."

JJ beams, the fear she was showing around her uncle seeming to just disappear. But she suddenly becomes shy and leans her face on Emily's arms.

"What are you doing, silly girl?" Emily asks. It makes JJ giggle and peak out at Emily. "Are you playing _**peek-a-boo**_? You silly girl, I **_see you_**!" JJ ducks back down and Emily acts like she has disappeared, glancing around as she says,

"*gasp* Where did little JJ go? I don't see her anywhere! I guess that means I will do this apron all by myself." JJ pops back up then, giggling.

"Me hewe, Emmy!" She says, throwing her hands up.

Emily acts surprised and like she is relieved that JJ is no longer "missing." "There you are! I was so worried!" She lifts JJ up onto her lap and then says, "Now, you wanna do your **apron** , _Love_?"

JJ nods eagerly.

"Okay, which **_color_** do you want?" JJ thinks for a moment before she hands Emily a tube of pink glitter glue.

"All right. Do you want to do yourself?" She's met with the little girl shaking her head and then JJ points to Emily. "You want me to help?" Again, JJ just nods. Emily guesses she has decided she doesn't want to speak much anymore today.

"Okay. Come here." Emily places her hand over JJ's.

"All right, baby. Just follow me and squeeze the tube whenever you get to the spot that you want the glitter glue on. Okay?" JJ's nods and tries to squeeze the tube gently but instead squeezes the tube too tight causing it squirt a bunch out.

JJ frowns and turns to Emily with big, tear-filled, blue eyes. "I may a mess." She says, her lips quivering. Emily frowns also and turns the preschooler so she is facing Emily fully. "Now Im'ma geh in t'ouble."

"Hey," She whispers. "you're not in trouble, sweetie. It's okay. Don't cry, all right? We'll clean it up and then choose a different color. Okay?" Emily gently wipes away JJ's tears and then kisses the preschooler's nose.

JJ nods, rubbing her eyes a little bit.

"Good. Go ask Aunt Maria for a paper towel, all right?" JJ hops down and goes over to Maria. A few seconds later, she comes skipping back with a paper towel and hands it to Emily. Once Emily has the glue cleaned up, she lets JJ choose a different color, and then they begin decorating the apron.

After they get JJ's name written, Emily turns to the preschooler and asks, "What else do you want to put on your apron?"

" ** _Please_** , suh, um…suh of 'ose 'at fie!" JJ answers. _Please, some um…some of those that fly._

"Some of what?"

"Um, um…suh dat does 'is!" JJ repeats, doing little hand gestures. _Um, um…some of those that does this!_

"You want something that flies?"

"Yeah!"

"Ok, do you want ladybugs, bumble bees, or butterflies?" Emily lists off what she knows to be JJ's favorite bugs, and notices the younger girl perks up at the last one. "You want some butterflies, _Love_?" JJ nods eagerly.

"All right, what colors do you want them to be?"

JJ picks the colors out and hands them to Emily.

"Okay." Emily picks the colors up that JJ pointed too. "Do you know what colors these are?" She asks.

"Um…no." She replies and Emily frowns. Being almost four, the preschooler should know at least some of her colors. "Well, this one is blue." She holds up a sky blue glitter pen. "Can you say that?" JJ just looks immensely confused at Emily's question.

"Can you say it, bug? _Buh-llll-ooo_." Emily slowly pronouncing each syllable as she begins to draw the blue butterflies. " _Buh-lll-ooo_." She slowly pronounces the word again.

"Duh-lll-ooo." JJ tries to copy Emily. The older girl smiles encouragingly.

"Almost, _Love_. Watch this:" She puts her lips together. " _Buh_ , _buh_ , _buh_. A 'B' makes the _'buh'_ sound."

JJ copies Emily, putting her lips together also. "Mmm… _buh_ , _buh_ , _buh_!"

"Good job!" JJ beams as she is praised. "Now, try this:" Emily puts her tongue to the roof of her mouth. " _Lllluh_ … _lllluh_. The letter 'L' makes the sound ' _luh_ , _luh_ , _luh_."

"Llllluh!" Jenny drags the sound out and Emily nods encouragingly. "Llllluh!"

"Great job, baby. Now, for the last part: the 'ooo (ue)' part. Can you make your lips like this?" She purses her lips and Jenny copies her. "Good, now make this sound: ooooo, ooooo, ooooo. The letters 'ue' make the sound, 'ooo'."

"ooo…"

"Good! Now, put them together. Buh-lll-ue." JJ does so and is praised again. Emily repeats this for each color she uses to make the 'grassy hills', butterflies, and the sun.

By the end, JJ has learned blue, green and yellow, although being around her cousins and watching them, Emily knows they'll have to go over it the next time she and Jenny are coloring with her crayons or around any colors at all.

About halfway through Sandy calls a break. The kids disperse for lunch and then presents and ice cream.

"Hey, Jay," Emily gets the preschooler's attention. "Why don't you go upstairs and use the potty before lunchtime. Okay?" She's making sure all the glitter pens have the caps back on them.

"'Ay, Emmy." JJ climbs the stairs to the second floor and enters the bathroom. She doesn't know that Jack followed her in there.

"Okay, JJ," Jack closes and locks the bathroom door. "Be a good little girl." He walks closer to the little girl.

"Come on, baby," He says. "You know what to do." He says in a creepy whisper as he watches the preschooler back away from him and up against the tub as she is cornered between it and him.

* * *

 ** _*Twenty minutes later. (JJ is back downstairs)*_**

After lunch, Rosaline sits on the couch and begins opening her presents.

The first one is from Sandy and Michael. They get her a set of books that she has really been wanting.

"Cool!" Rosaline exclaims. "Thanks, Mom! Thank you, Dad!" Next are Jack and Amber. They also get her a book along with a pair of jeans the little girl had been wanting. Caleb and Maria get her a couple of movies and an outfit of jean shorts, new sandals, and a shirt.

Natalie and Leslie bought her a new soccer ball. They also get her some more books and a sketchpad while Madeline pitched in with her allowance and got her some pencils and markers.

"Wow! Thanks, guys!"

"You're welcome, Rosie!" Maddie beams. Next are Eliza and Maggie. They get her gloves and soccer shoes. Her friends each get her clothes or homemade friendship bracelets.

"Okay, baby," Sandy says. "This one is from sissy and bubba." She hands her one last present. Rosaline opens it and pulls out a pretty blue Sunday dress with matching shoes.

"Oh, it's so pretty! Thank you!"

"Sissy oh-en mine!" JJ says and hands her a bag. Rosaline opens it and finds a card with 'Happy Birthday, Rosie' in JJ's three-year-old handwriting, (with a few letters backward or missing), and a stick figure drawing of their family.

"I um, uh…um me did'ih all by my'elf, Sissy," JJ says, proud of herself. "Emmy heh-ed me suh dough." _I um, uh...um, me did it all by myself, Sissy. Emmy helped me some, though._

"Thank you, JJ. I like it very much. It's very pretty." Rosaline says and the preschooler beams at her sister.

"Okay is everyone ready for cake and ice cream?" Sandy is met with enthusiastic 'yeses' and 'yeahs'.

"All right, come gather around." Sandy lights the candle on the cake and then says, "The birthday girl needs to be front and center." Rosaline comes to the front of the circle and then everyone begins to sing.

Happy Birthday to you.  
Happy Birthday to you.  
Happy Birthday, dear Rosaline.  
Happy Birthday to you.

After Rosaline blows out the candles, everybody cheers. Then Sandy cuts the cake and starts handing out the pieces.

* * *

 **Here it is! You all got a glimpse into something that is going on with JJ. Can you figure out what it is? Please review and let me know what you thought! :)**


	4. Week 5 pt 1

**_Week 5 pt. 1_**

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 75*  
Low Temp.: 66*  
Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **Disclaimers: I do now Criminal Minds or its characters. I do own all characters now associated with the show.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: T**

 **We will see a very small glimpse of what is going on between Jack and Jenny in this chapter, but don't worry, ¾ of it is going to be happy fluff.**

 **Words in _bold and italic_ are words in sign language.**

 **Words in _italic_ are words Emily uses as nicknames in place of JJ's name, so for example, "love", "bug", etc. will be _Love_ , _Bug_ , etc. instead. However, names like "sweetie", "sweetheart", "baby", etc. will not be capitalized or italicized (unless it is "Babygirl" which will be capitalized).**

 **Trigger Warning: Scenes of molestation as told from JJ's point of view. I will have it marked.**

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, June 29th, 1982_**

* * *

 ** _*East Allegheny park*_**

Late in June, Emily makes her way once again to the park. She sees Elijah and JJ over by the swings; the 12-year-old is pushing the preschooler. She glances around and sees Rosaline playing with some friends over by the jungle gym.

Emily heads over to the swings and catches JJ as she comes back causing her to scream.

"Emmy! 'Ooh hewe!"

"Of course I am. Come here." She picks the preschooler up. "Are you guys 'bout ready to go home? We're having a sleepover tonight, remember?" Emily reminds her and the little girl beams. She nods eagerly.

"We're gonna watch Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and a lot of others." Emily lists off just to keep the conversation going. She knows, usually, that JJ just communicates with nods or points, things like that, when out in public.

"Go get sissy, okay? And tell her that it's time to go."

Another nod and, after Emily lets her down, JJ runs off to the slides where Rosaline and a few of her friends are. She comes back minutes later with the ten-year-old in tow. She raises her hands and Emily lifts her back up.

"All right, are you guys ready?" Emily asks.

"Yep," Elijah replies. "Let's go. Mom said she needed to know what to make for lunch."

The preschooler begins playing with Emily's necklace as the three walk toward the fence. " ** _Please_** , **_mac and cheese_**! **_Please_ , _mac and cheese_**!" The little girl signs. Emily smiles as the little girl signs the words but doesn't speak them. She really loves learning sign language.

Rosaline groans. "Jenny, we've had that for three days in a row! We need to eat something else."

" ** _Why_**?" JJ frowns. She continues to sign, using her facial expressions to tell her sister she is confused and upset, not happy, with the question, just like Emily has taught her.

"Because we've had it all week. Pick something else. How about chicken nuggets or cheeseburgers?" Rosaline suggests and the preschooler continues to frown.

" ** _No_** ," She says. This time Emily steps in before Rosaline gets frustrated with the younger girl.

"JJ, why don't we try something new today?" She asks the preschooler. "How about we see if we can have a picnic outside? We can have sandwiches and juice boxes." She feels the three-year-old sigh against her neck and adds,

"Does that sound fun? I bet your teddy bears would like to have a picnic too." JJ's eyes light up at that and she nods. "You can bring your teddy bears and your Barbie dolls."

"Is a picnic ok with you two?" She asks Rosaline and Elijah. They nod and Emily turns back to JJ. "Now what kind of sandwiches do you want?" Emily asks.

JJ just shrugs, doing the cute "little kid" shrug, with her hands lifted palms-up and moving her shoulders to her ears.

"Well, how about a grilled cheese sandwich? I can make you one if you want it." JJ nods once again.

"And what's the magic word to get you the sandwich?" Emily asks gently.

" ** _I'm sorry_**." JJ signs making Emily grin. She was wondering when or if JJ would get the signs _sorry_ and _please_ mixed up.

"Almost, _Love_ ," She says and then takes her hand, placing it flat against her chest. " ** _Please_**. Remember, flat hand equals **_please_** , tight hand (fist) equals **_sorry_**."

"Oohhh…." JJ drawls. " ** _Please, eat_**."

"Good girl." A few minutes later and Emily lets the preschooler down because, although she is tiny, JJ is still almost four years old, and she wants her to get used to walking at least some of the time.

" ** _Emmy_** ," The little girl makes a whine sound as she signs the _E_ , just like Emily has taught her to. She uses letters to sign people's names, so for example, _E_ is Emily, _R_ is Rosaline (or JJ uses _sissy_ ), _EJ_ is Elijah Jareau (or JJ uses _bubba_ ), and so on. JJ raises her hands and tugs on Emily shirt. " ** _Please, up_** ,"

"I carried you far enough, _Babydoll_. You're a big girl and sometimes big girls need to walk, okay? You can hold my hand though, okay?"

JJ huffs out a breath but nods anyway and grabs Emily finger since it is easier to hold than Emily's hand.

* * *

* ** _At JJ's house*_**

At the house, the four kids walk inside. Rosaline and Elijah go to the kitchen to tell Sandy what they want for lunch while JJ and Emily head upstairs to the bathroom.

"Okay, _Ladybug_. Go potty while I wash my hands and then I will help you wash yours. Okay?" JJ nods and they head upstairs.

After the two get down in the bathroom, Emily goes to the kitchen to make herself and JJ a grilled cheese sandwich while the preschooler stays in her room to gather all the teddy bears and Barbie dolls she can carry.

Once all the sandwiches have been made Emily goes outside to help JJ with her toys.

"All right, bug, where do you want the blanket to be?" She asks. JJ skips around for a minute and Emily watches in amusement as JJ "tests" each spot she stops on. She runs around three times, going over each one, before coming to a stop in one particular spot.

"Over here?" Emily asks and JJ nods, jumping up and down happily. Emily lays the blanket out. "Okay bug, let's go see if your mommy needs help bringing stuff out."

The two go inside and see Sandy packing a picnic basket with juice boxes and pb&j sandwiches along with the grilled cheese Emily made for her and JJ to split.

"I packed some cookies and a couple bags of chips," Sandy tells the kids. "Are you four going to be in the shade? If not, you will probably need to put more sunscreen on."

"We'll sit in the shade," Emily answers. "It's too hot to be in the sun anyway so we will probably come in after we eat." And it's true. The temperature is getting close to the mid-90s. Sandy nods and hands Elijah the basket.

The four go outside and sit on the blanket. Elijah hands out the juice boxes while Rosaline gets the sandwiches and chips and cookies.

"JJ, do you want cookies or chips?" She asks.

"Hmm…" The preschooler puts her 'thinking' face on and then says, " ** _Please, cookies_**!" and Rosaline hands her the chocolate chip cookies.

 ** _"Emmy,"_** JJ frowns. " ** _where eat_** ," JJ signs meaning she is asking for her food. Since Emily has only been teaching JJ sign language for about a week and a half, JJ does not know the "big" signs, like how to say "where is my sandwich?", so she signs "where" and then "eat" to ask for her food.

"Right here," Emily hands her half of the grilled cheese sandwich and a paper towel.

" ** _Thank you_**."

" ** _You're welcome_**. Now hurry and **_eat_** so the **_sandwich_** doesn't ** _get cold_**."

The little girl eats her sandwich and drinks her juice box. She has to be reminded to pay attention, as she gets distracted a couple of times and has trouble with how she is supposed to hold her sandwich and take a bit at the same time.

After she gets done, she plays with her Barbie and Ken dolls while the others finish eating. She taps Emily on the arm and points to her Barbie. She had put the straw of her juice to the doll's mouth and makes her 'drink' it.

Emily smiles gently, "Is Barbie **_drinking_** your **_juice box_**?" JJ nods and Emily runs her fingers through the preschooler's blonde curls.

"Are you ready to go _**inside,** Ladybug_?"

The preschooler frowns for a moment, knowing that her least favorite time of the day is coming up. She looks at Emily, " ** _Sleep_**?" JJ holds her hands together and lays her head on them, pretending they are a pillow.

Emily nods, "'Fraid so, _Bug_."

Elijah gathers up all the wrappers and chip and cookie bags. He takes them to the trashcan on the porch while Rosaline gets the picnic basket.

Emily stands up also and helps Jenny stand up. "Do you want to take your Barbie inside while I fold the blanket?"

"Can I ooh'it, Emmy?"

"Sure, you can. Do you need help?"

" ** _No_**! ** _Do it myself_** ," JJ says sternly and Emily raises her hands in a 'surrender' position. _No! I do it myself._

"Okay, I didn't say you couldn't, _Bug._ Let's hurry though so we can get inside, okay? It's getting really hot out here and we don't need to stay much longer."

"Okay." Emily watches as JJ tries her best to fold the blanket and gets very close to it; closer than Emily thought she would.

" ** _All done_**!" The preschooler beams and then hands the blanket to Emily, unfolding it in the process. "Aw! It _felleda'part_." She frowns and looks at Emily who is smiling at her.

"Ih nah fuh-nee, Emmy-lee," JJ says causing Emily to press her lips together to not laugh at the preschooler's use of her name instead of the nickname she had picked out especially for her. _It's not funny, Emmy-lee aka Emily._

" ** _I'm sorry_** , sweetheart. I wasn't laughing at you, I promise." Emily bends down to the little blonde's level and taps her nose. "You still mad?"

JJ sighs dramatically. "No, I f'gih ooh." _No, I forgive you._

"Good. Can I have a hug?" She asks and JJ throws herself at Emily. "Aw, thank you. Now, how 'bout a kiss? Can I have one those too?" JJ nods and makes a 'duck' face. Emily leans forward.

"Mwah," Emily smiles. "Thank you, _Ladybug_." She sits down crisscross and lets the three-year-old climb into her lap.

JJ grabs the blanket and holds it up for Emily to see. She points to a bug on it that has 'Jenny' written on it and proudly announces, "F'uherbyes!" _Flutterbyes, aka, butterflies._

"That's right! Those are butterflies." Emily praises her causing the preschooler to beam. Emily points to another bug on the blanket, this one has 'Rosaline' written on it. "Do you know what that is?"

"A bee!" JJ says.

"Good job! Now, how about I fold the blanket and you get the toys? Can you do that?" JJ nods and begins gathering all her Barbies and teddy bears. Inside the house, Emily lays the blanket on the table and picks JJ up 'airplane' style and carries her into the living room.

"Give mommy a kiss, _Ladybug_ , and then we can go take a nap." JJ kisses her mom and then Emily takes her upstairs. She lays the preschooler on her bed and covers her up. When she turns to leave, the blonde grabs her wrists and looks at her with frightened eyes.

"Emmy, doh leab." She whispers and Emily frowns. This is a drastic turn from the energetic three-year-old that she has seen outside ten minutes earlier. She sits down on the edge of JJ's pencil 'big girl' bed and uses her fingers to brush the curls out of JJ's face.

"I'm not going anywhere at all, baby. Okay? I'll stay right here the entire time." She whispers soothingly. JJ nods and reaches out for Emily to take her. Emily scoots back against the pillows and allows the preschoolers to curl up against her, one of JJ's fists tightly gripping her shirt.

"Close your eyes, sweetheart. The faster you go to sleep, the faster you can wake up and then we can have our sleepover."

" ** _Sing_** , Emmy." The little girl requests and Emily quickly scans over the songs that she knows. She looks for one she hasn't used with any of cousins yet; one that can be just her and JJ's. Finally, she settles on one.

"Are you ready, baby doll?" She asks and at the blonde's nod, she begins to sing,

 _Somewhere over the rainbow,  
Way up high.  
There's a land that I've heard of,  
Once in a lullaby._

 _Somewhere over the rainbow,  
Skies are blue.  
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true._

 _Someday I wish upon a star, (someday I wish upon a star)  
Where the clouds are far, far, far behind me  
(And wake up where the clouds are far behind me)_

 _Where all my troubles melt like lemon drops.  
Way above the chimney tops, (way above the chimney tops)  
That is where you will find me._

A couple of minutes into the song, Emily stops. She notices the preschooler's breathing has evened out and gently slides out from under her. She goes to JJ's bookshelf and picks out a book to read while she waits for the little girl to finish her nap.

* * *

 ** _***Trigger***_**

 ** _*JJ's dream. Jenny's point of view*_**

 _I'm at Uncle Jack and Aunt Amber's house. My cousins Maddie and Lee-Lee and Nattie are here. Emmy is here too! We are paintin' vewy pwetty pi'tures. We gots b'ue an' pink an' purple an' even ye'ow an' or'nge colors!_

 _"'Ook, Emmy!" I show Emmy my pi'ture. It's me, mommy, daddy, sissy, bubby, and Emmy. My fam'ly! Next is lunchtime. Aunt Amber maded yummy mac'roni and cheese! She even maded chic'en nuggets! They are so yummy, I ate a gazillion of them._

 _After lunch is naptime. I don't like naptime at Un'le Jack and Aun' A'ber's house. Uncle Jack touches me on my pee-pee spot and I don't like it one bit! Aunt Amber makes me lay down in my sleeping bag even though I say no. She sayed I hafta sit in time-out if I don't listen._

 _I don't want that one bit so lie down and close my eyes. I'm scared though; I don't want my Uncle Jack to come in and touch me!_

 _I'm in Mattie (Natalie - Nattie) and Lee-Lee's room. Maybe that means Un'le Jack won't come in!_

 _He says what he does to me is really special. He says the other uncles pick out one very special girl and that everybody does it!_

 _He makes me touch his weenie. Then he touches my pee-pee spot. Sometimes he sticks his fingers in my pee-pee and makes weird noises._

 _I wonder if any of my friends are special and get to touch their uncles' weenies._

 _Even though I don't like it, Un'le Jack says that if I told anyone no one would believe me! He says I lie all the time and that I want it to happen!_

 _One time, Un'le Jack put his finger in my pee-pee and it hurted a lot. I started to cry and I told him to stop. He said no and then he put two whole fingers in my pee-pee spot and it hurted even more!_

 _Finally, I fall asleep. I dreamed mommy and daddy tooked me to the beach and I gots to see lots and lots of seashells. We even builded a san'castle! After I while I wake up. I feel something wet on my panties, so I look down._

 _Oh no! I peed in my sleeping bag! I'm gonna get in so much trouble!_

 _Emily comes into the room and I smile real big! Emmy will save me from Uncle Jack, I just know she will!_

 _"Emmy, help me! I boed pee-pee!" I whisper. Emmy comes over and looks. I think she is going to help me change, except, she doesn't. Emmy goes to the door instead and opens it._

 _I gasp. Oh no! It's Uncle Jack! He comes over and lifts me off the ground. I start to get really, really scareded, so I kick and scream,_

 _"No! No, doh! P'ease, doh!" He doesn't listen though; he just takes me to the bathroom. He stands me in front of the potty. Then he unbuckles he pants and takes them off. I start crying. (No! No, don't! Please, don't!)._

 _"Saw it! P'ease! Saw!" He takes my panties off and touches my pee-pee spot. (Stop it! Please! Stop!)._

 _"Come on, Jenny," He whispers in a scary voice. "Be a good girl and I won't tell your mommy that you were a bad girl and peed your bed like a little baby." He takes off his boy panties and I see his weenie._

 _He grabs my hand and makes me touch it. I start screaming, "No! Doh! Saw it!" (No! Don't! Stop it!)._

 _***End of dream***_

Then I hear, "JJ, wake up, baby. Wake up, sweetheart, it's just a dream. Come on, baby." It's Emmy! I open my eyes and I am back in my bedroom. Emmy is sitting on my bed and I throw myself at her.

I can't tell the truth about Un'le Jack, so, instead, I say, "Da maw'er goted me, Eh-me! Ih 'aked me 'way!" Emmy wraps her arms around me and I immediately feel safe. Like no one in the entire universe can hurt me; not even Uncle Jack. _The monster got me, Emmy! It took me away!_

Then I feel wet on my bottom. Oh no! I peed in the bed like a bad girl and a little baby. Emmy's gonna think Im'ma baby and tell mommy on me!

"I saw-e, Emmy!" I say. _I'm sorry, Emmy!_

"Why are you sorry, sweetheart?"

"I go pee-pee! Im'ma a-bee!" _I'm a baby!_

"Hey, no you're not. It's okay; everyone has accidents. Let's just go get cleaned up, okay? Then we can watch a princess movie. How's that sound?" I nod my head. It sounds fun! Emmy wipes my tears away and kisses my nose. Then she takes me to the bathroom where mommy is using the potty.

"Oh, baby, what happened?" She asks.

"She just had a little accident," Emmy says. "Is it ok if I give her a quick bath?" Mommy nods and gets out my super-special bubble bath.

"When you get finished, put on your pjs. Then you two can have your sleepover." Emmy nods and mommy leaves. Then Emmy fills the tub up and helps me in. I get all clean and then I put on my pjs and we go to the living room to watch movies!

* * *

 **Sorry guys! This chapter got away from me.** **JJ does have other issues besides speech and that will be addressed soon.**

 **Tell me what you thought of the dream. Is Jenny going to confide in Emily or has Jack tainted her three-year-old mind with lies about how no one will believe her?**

 **Please review!**


	5. Week 5 pt 2

**_Week 5 pt. 2_**

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 75°  
Low Temp.: 66°  
Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **Declaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, the characters, or the song _Somewhere Over the Rainbow_.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: M.**

 **Notes: This is a follow-up to the last chapter. It only has Emily and JJ and the girls are back in JJ's room. _Italics_ are bits and pieces of JJ's dream, except for the obvious song lyrics. Once again, in JJ's point of view, her speech is going to be more "normal" as that is how she sounds to herself.**

 **Trigger Warning: Talk of molestation. Same as before; in JJ's dream, told in JJ's point of view. It weaves throughout the entire chapter.**

* * *

 ** _I'm in the summer of 1982_**

* * *

 ** _*JJ's house*_**

After watching a grand total of three and a half of JJ's princess movies, Emily takes the preschooler upstairs. She's worried about JJ; the little girl had refused to let Emily out of her sight and was attached to Emily's side the entire time during the movies. Now, though, Sandy carries the little girl back upstairs while Michael sets up a makeshift bed on the floor for Emily.

"Em, sweetie," Sandy says after tucking the sleeping blue-eyed child into bed. "if JJ has another accident, just come get Michael or I, okay? She's been doing this lately and I just don't know why, but if it happens again just come and get one of us." Emily nods in agreement, although she knows without a doubt JJ won't want her to get her parents.

"If you need any more blankets, Michael and I will be up for another couple of hours." Emily nods once more and Sandy leaves the room, pulling the door almost all the way shut.

Emily looks at JJ's sleeping form. The preschooler looks so innocent like she has nothing at all to be afraid of. Then she settles in for the night on the pallet of blankets.

Sometime during the night, when it is dead quiet, Emily is woken up by JJ.

 _Mommy and Daddy are getting ready to go un'le Jack and aun' A'ber's house for my cousins Maggie and 'Liza's birthday! I am so 'cited cause they a'ways have two bir'day cakes and I love cake._

 _After mommy and daddy get their clothes on, it's time to go. I skip to the car and Daddy puts me in my car seat. Mommy gets in and then daddy gets in. Mommy yells for Rosie and Eli to hurry up. Rosie comes out and she has two bags; one for Maggie and the other for Eliza. Eli has two bags also._

 _They get in and mommy starts driving._

 _*At Jack and Amber's house*_

 _"Hi, Maggie! Hi Eliza!" I say to my cousins. "Happy Bir'day!" I giggle._

 _"Thanks, JJ!" They say back. "Come on! Let's go play tag!"_

 _Yay! I looove playin' tag! I skip to the backyard with my cousins._

 _"Maggie is it!" Eliza yells and me and her run off._

Emily smiles when she realizes JJ is giggling slightly in her sleep. She lays back down and begins to drift off to the sound of her best friend's light giggles, wondering what she is dreaming about.

 _*Later, at the party*_

 _"Now, now, JJ," Un'le Jack says to me. All I wanted to do was go potty. But un'le Jack followed me to the bathroom. He walks closer to me and I back up. But then I hit the bathtub and I have nowhere to go._

 _"Be a good girl and do as you are told." I don't want him t'touch me. But he says if I don't do what he says, then I am mis-mis-miss-be-haying and he will tell my mommy and daddy I was a bad girl._

 _"No, Uh Jah. P'ease, doh. I 'uh wanna go paw-e an' den go eat cae wih 'Liza." I say to him. I put my hands on my front so he can't touch my no-no spot. (No, Uncle Jack. Please, don't, I just wanna go potty and then go eat cake with 'Liza)._

Emily sits up on the blankets when she notices JJ is no longer giggling but whimpering in her sleep. She looks at the clock on JJ's nightstand. It reads: _12:17 a.m._

She sits up on her knees so she can get a better look at the little girl who is now mumbling in her sleep. "No, no doh. P'ease, doh." Emily sighs and stands up. She makes her way over to the side of JJ's bed.

"Jenny, wake up, princess. It's just a bad dream." She whispers, gently shaking the preschooler.

 _"I don't care if you don't want too. Come over here and do as I say, or I will put you in timeout and you won't get any cake or any ice cream." I really don't want to get in trouble so I walk over to him very slowly._

 _Un'le Jack smiles at me. But it's not a nice smile; it's a scary smile. And it scares me. I squeeze my eyes shut and start to cry._

JJ starts getting restless now and Emily is getting worried. What could a three-year-old possible be dreaming about that would be this serious?

If only she knew.

 _Un'le Jack takes off my pants and panties. He touches me in my bad spot._

"Jennifer, wake up. Come on, sweet girl. It's just a dream, that's all. Open your eyes."

"No, I don't wanna do'it. Doh 'ake me, _p'ease_ Un'le Jack. Doh do'it. I'll be 'ood; paw-miss. Jus' doh do'it." _Don't make me, Uncle Jack. Don't do it. I'll be good, promise. Just don't do it._

"Jenny, he can't hurt you here," Emily says, hoping telling her this will help wake her up.

 _Uncle Jack touches me in my bad spot. He even puts his finger in my pee-pee spot. Un'le Jack puts his other hand down his pants. He starts making weird noises and I get even more scared._

 _I can feel the tears running down my face. If Emmy were here, she would kiss my nose and tell me to give her a smile 'cause she likes seeing me smile._

 _Then Un'le Jack takes his hand away. He starts to undo the buttons on his pants. "Be a good girl, Jenny," he says. I don't like when he calls me that. Only Emmy can do it._

 _Un'le Jack unzips his pants and then touches my pee-pee spot again. He just rubs it with his fingers. It hurts a lot and I don't like it one bit._

 _I know better than to run._

 _The last time I did, un'le Jack told Mommy I hit Cousin Maggie an' I had t'go to timeout when I goted home._

 _I also know better than to scream out for help._

 _The last I did that, un'le Jack told aun' A'ber that I was just trying to get out of trouble. That I hadn't listened to him an' that I needed to sit in timeout. Aun' A'ber believed him and hit my butt. She told me to listen to un'le Jack._

 _I didn't like that; no, I thought yelling out would make aun' A'ber help me, but it didn't._

Emily sighs and glances at the door. JJ has now twisted around in the sheets and it worries Emily even more. She has an idea.

She presses her open palm against JJ's face. She's learned that that is a way to get the preschooler's attention. She does it and whispers, once again,

"Jenny, listen to me, _Love_. I need you to wake up. Open your eyes for me, baby girl. Come on, you can do it."

 _Un'le Jack takes his pants off and then takes his boy panties off._

 _"Be a good girl, Jenny. Do as your told. Come on, now," un'le Jack says. "You know what to do."_

 _"No! Me doh wuhna! P'ease doh nake ne! Me be 'ood, paw-miss, Uh Jah!" I beg and cry some more. *No! Me don't wanna! Please don't make me! Me be good, promise, Uncle Jack!)._

 _Then un'le Jack does something no one has ever done before._

 _He hits me in the face with his hand. Now I am weally scared. I wish mommy would come t'da bafwoom an' save me._

 _Then he gwabs my hand. He makes me touch his weenie. He starts to make me rub my hand up and down. I start crying more when I suddenly hear,_

 _"Jenny, wake up, princess." It sounds like Emmy! "Open your eyes for me, Babygirl." Now I'm confused. I already have my eyes open! Maybe if I close them and then open them again it will work._

 _I squeeze my eyes shut real tight. And then I open them and see…_

 _Emmy!_

"Emmy!" I yell. I throw myself at her again and she catches me. "Emmy, doh leh da maw'ser geh ne!" I tell her. Maybe she will figure it out and save me from Uncle Jack. _Emmy, don't let the monster get me!_

If I don't tell her who the monster is then un'le Jack will never know and he can't punish me. Right?

"I won't, baby," She whispers. She wraps her arms around me and I feel safe again. Like nothing in the whole world can hurt me. Not even my Uncle Jack.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise. You're ok." She says and I believe her. Emmy pulls back and says,

"Do you want to tell me about your dream, sweet girl?" My eyes get really wide. Now I'm scared. If I tell Emmy what happened, I'll get in trouble.

"Ih wuh a maw'ser, Emmy!" I say instead. "It eated me! Doh let him get me, 'ay Emmy?" Emily sighs. She knows for a fact that it wasn't a monster but doesn't want to accuse the distraught three-year-old of lying. _It was a monster, Emmy! It eated me. Don't let him get me, 'kay, Emmy?_

 ** _*Normal point of view*_**

So, instead, she says, "Okay, _Love_ ," She runs a hand through JJ curls and lays them both down. "You don't have to tell me. Just take a deep breath for me." She coaches JJ for a moment and then adds,

"There you go. Good girl. You're doing great, baby." Soon, JJ's breathing is under control and Emily thinks she has fallen asleep. She makes the mistake of trying to pull back and JJ yells out suddenly,

"No! Emmy! Doh leab! Doh leab, Emmy!" Emily soothes the preschooler again before whispering, "I was just scooting down, baby. I won't go anywhere. Nowhere at all. But there isn't enough room here; let's move to the blankets on the floor, okay? Do you wanna do that?" JJ nods frantically and tightens her grip on Emily shirt.

Emily gently maneuvers them to the floor and pulls the blanket over them. "You're okay, baby girl. I swear to you, you are. Just close your eyes and I will be right here to chase the monsters away."

"Me s'ared, Emmy." The preschooler whispers.

"I know you are, _Babygirl._ Just close your eyes and I will sing. Okay?" JJ nods and scoots as close to Emily as possible without actually being on top of her. Emily wraps an arm around her and starts to sing.

 _Somewhere over the rainbow,  
Way up high.  
There's a land that I've heard of,  
Once in a lullaby._

 _Somewhere over the rainbow,  
Skies are blue.  
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true._

 _Someday I wish upon a star, (someday I wish upon a star)  
Where the clouds are far, far, far behind me.  
(And wake up where the clouds are far behind me)_

 _Where all my troubles melt like lemon drops.  
Way above the chimney tops, (way above the chimney tops)  
That is where you will find me._

She feels JJ's breathing even out and soon she falls asleep also.

* * *

 **This is just a filler chapter.**

 **So, what did you think? Emily knows JJ's bad dreams have something to do with Jack, but can she figure out just what he is doing? And will JJ finally confide in Emily?**

 **Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!**

 **Next Up: _JJ's 4th birthday party_.**


	6. Another Year Older pt 1

**_JJ's 4th birthday party, pt. 1_**

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp: 84.9° F  
Low Temp: 66.9° F  
Precipitation: 0 inches  
**

 **Prompt: Emily trying to discuss what is going on with JJ. It was requested but I can't remember by who.**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: T.**

 **And with that said…**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 _ **I'm in the summer of 1982.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Tuesday, July 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **.**_

* * *

 ** _*Jareau household*_**

Tuesday morning, in the very early hours, (the clock reads: _4:46 a.m._ ), Emily is woken up by a newly turned blonde-haired, blue-eyed, 4-year-old little girl whimpering in her sleep. She leaps up from her laying position on the air mattress that makes up the bottom of JJ's new bunk beds and climbs to the top bunk so she can see the blonde's face.

 _"No, doh."_ She whimpers and Emily brushes JJ's bangs from her face before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the blonde's forehead.

"Jenny, wake up, _Love_." She whispers as she runs her hand up and down JJ's back. "Come on, sweet girl." It only takes a couple of minutes for the little girl to open her eyes.

JJ reaches out her arms for Emily and the older girl automatically picks her up, sliding over on JJ's bed instead of taking her to the bottom.

"Emmy…" The little girl mumbles and Emily presses another kiss to her forehead. "You're okay, _Love_. Go back to sleep." The two lay down and fall asleep.

A few hours later, she awakes again. This time though, it is by JJ jumping on her stomach. The clock now reads: _7:22 a.m._

"Emmy, may up! Ih my dir'bay!" Emily groans as she sits up. As she brushes her hair back from her face, JJ jumps on her again, giggling when she gets the response of another groan, doing it one more time.

Before she can bounce on the poor girl's stomach a fourth time, (Emily quickly figures out why she is doing it), Emily grabs her up in a bear hug, holding her to her chest.

"Okay, I'm awake, _Love_." Emily shifts so the little girl can climb into her lap. "Happy Birthday, baby."

"Cone om, Emmy," JJ jumps down from the bed and waits for Emily to stand up. She notices JJ mispronounces 'come' and 'on'. It really is making her more suspicious on why Jen is behind her speech.

"I'm coming," Emily calls as she drags herself out of bed. She follows the energetic blonde to the doorway where the preschooler asks to be picked up, Emily obeying and lifting her up onto her hips. Then she makes her way down the hall and to the kitchen.

Since it is so early, Rosaline and Elijah are still asleep. Michael and Sandy, though, are in the kitchen. Sandy at the stove and Michael drinking coffee at the counter.

"More-in, Maw-me! More-in, Daddy!" The four-year-old shouts making Emily pull back at the sudden, _very loud_ , noise in her ear, and as soon as Emily puts her down, she pulls her over to her parents and then runs to Sandy.

Sandy turns from where she is flipping pancakes and catches the preschooler in a hug. "Hey! It's the birthday girl! Happy Birthday, baby."

Michael comes over and kisses her forehead. "Happy Birthday, Jenny." He smiles and JJ frowns. "I doh wuhna be dat no more," JJ informs him.

"Oh?" Michael says. "Well, why not?"

JJ shrugs. "Us'cause." She glances at Emily who is sitting at the bar with her head propped up by her hand. The brunette is lazily watching the preschooler interact with her parents, still trying to get completely woke up. " ** _Down, please, Mamma_** _."_ She requests and Sandy obeys. The preschooler immediately goes over to the older girl.

Emily lifts JJ up onto her lap. "What do you want for your breakfast today, birthday girl?"

JJ just shrugs again and turns to Emily, her energy from a few seconds ago dissipating. "How about some French toast? Your Mamma can make it while you and I go upstairs and go potty. How's that sound?" JJ just nods and hops down from Emily's lap, but stays close to her. Emily realizes what is going on, JJ is always very clingy after a nightmare, and so she places a hand on the preschooler's back and turns to Sandy and Michael.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her. Would you please make us some French toast?" Sandy nods and the two leave the room.

* * *

 ** _*Upstairs bathroom, w/Jenny and Emily*_**

Upstairs, JJ and Emily enter the bathroom. Emily turns to the little girl after closing the door.

JJ's eyes widen as she watches Emily close the door and step closer to her. Instead of seeing her best friend, who is going to the sink to brush her hair and pull it up, she sees her uncle, who is about to step closer and violate her in the worst way possible.

Emily turns from the sink when she hears JJ whimper and sees the younger girl back up against the bathtub, with her head bent down and her hands covering her front. Her heart sinks and she rushes over to the preschooler, bending down in front of her.

"No! Doh! Me sah-e! Me dih-ent neam t'be bad!" Emily catches it that time too, but disregards it and says,

"Hey, hey, hey. Everything's okay, sweetheart. You didn't do anything bad, I promise," She reaches out for the preschooler. "Come here, _Love_."

"No!" JJ yells again. "No, doh, Uh Jah!" Emily's heart breaks as she listens to the preschooler beg Emily not to hurt her, thinking she is her uncle.

"Jenny, baby, I need you to listen to me." Emily coaches, dropping down to her knees and scooting back a little bit, being aware that the preschooler already feels trapped. "I am not going to hurt you. Okay? I promise I will not. I will not touch you unless you say it is ok, and I won't come closer unless you tell me too."

As Emily waits for a response from the upset preschooler, she hears Elijah from the doorway. "Emily?" He asks his eyes wide. "What going on?" He steps into the bathroom and looks over at his baby sister.

"Hey, Jenny. I was going to say 'Happy Birthday', but it doesn't seem like a very happy one. What's the matter?" He steps closer but JJ is having none of that and shouts, "No!" again causing Elijah to glance over at Emily.

"She's ok. She just had a bad dream last night," Emily says only half-lying. "She dreamt that…there was a monster out to get her when she went to the bathroom. I'm just trying to explain to her that there is no monster in here." Now that part is true. "It's ok. Go downstairs and wait for us. When we get done here, we'll come down and Jenny can eat her birthday breakfast."

Elijah just nods and leaves the bathroom. When he is gone, Emily turns back to JJ. "Jenny, _Love_ , you're okay. You are fine; I promise." JJ slowly comes out of it and looks at Emily. The preschooler throws herself at Emily, sobbing now. Emily just catches and rubs her back, repeating the soothing words until JJ is calmed down.

"Hey now, _Love_ ," She tries to pull back but Jenny tightens her grip on Emily's shirt. "It's okay. You're okay."

JJ sniffles and pulls back. She looks at Emily with a heartbroken expression. "Emmy," Her bottom lip trembles. "Me boed pee-pee." Emily glances down then and sees that the preschooler did, in fact, have an accident. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem (JJ still wears diapers to bed), but last night JJ chose to wear her "big kid" underwear, so now those and her PJ bottoms are wet.

Emily brushes JJ's bangs away from her forehead and kisses it. "That's okay, baby. Everyone has accidents, remember?"

"Buh me naw oohs 'ih'irl!" Jenny cries, slurring her words and causing Emily to shake her head. She doesn't understand what JJ said and that breaks her heart. _But me not your big girl!_

"Sweetie, I need you to calm down. I can't understand you. Remember, we take big, giant breathes and use our clear voices?"

She demonstrates taking a deep breath, a giant breath in and a deep breath out. She keeps doing it, encouraging JJ to copy her. The little does so, Emily's voice calming her instantly, and she breathes in and then out.

"Good girl! That's my _Love_. Now, can you use your special, clear voice, and repeat what you said?"

 ** _"_** ** _Not you big girl_**!" This time, it is very clear what JJ says and it breaks Emily's heart that the little girl thinks she is no longer her big girl just because she had an accident.

"No, you are! You are my very big girl. You're my even bigger big girl than yesterday, and you know why?" Jenny shakes her head. "Because you turn 4 years old today!" Emily tells her enthusiastically causing her to beam and nod her head.

"That makes you one more year bigger than you were yesterday." The two are quiet for a moment before JJ speaks up again.

" ** _Emmy_**?" JJ makes the sign for an 'E' and shakes it. It's how Emily taught the blond to sign her name because it is easier than spelling out all the letters.

"Yes, baby?"

Jenny fingers Emily's locket she is wearing, " ** _Me you Love_**?" she finally asks, having gotten used to Emily being the only one who calls her that.

Emily smiles at the younger girl. "Of course you are, Jen. You'll always be my love." Emily stands up. "Now, how about we take those yucky pants off and put on some clean ones, yeah?" Jenny nods and starts to take her pajama shorts off, but stops and looks at Emily.

"Jenny, would you like me to go get some new shorts so you can take the yucky ones off in private?" The older girl asks the preschooler. Jenny just cocks her head to the side with a frown. "What's the matter, _Love_?"

" ** _What mean_**?" She guesses JJ means what does "private" mean, but she also wonders how the little girl could not know, since she is 4 years old and, surely, the little girl gets dressed without someone in the room with her.

"It means that you will take your pants off without me in here." JJ thinks about it for a moment and then nods. Emily nods too and then exits the bathroom, going to JJ's room and picking out some new shorts, a t-shirt, and some daytime underwear. Jen is daytime-trained, so she wears "big kid" underwear in the day.

When she gets back to the bathroom, Emily can hear Sandy's voice. The older woman is asking the preschooler what happened, what was taking her so long, and telling her that pancakes are going to get cold. Emily pushes the door open and Sandy looks up.

"Oh, hi, Emily. Is everything all right? I was getting worried when you didn't come back down after a few minutes." Emily looks to Jenny who rapidly shakes her head, informing Emily that the little girl does not want her mom to know. Emily sighs quietly and just smiles at Sandy.

"Jenny just had an accident, that's all." The preteen says. "I think she got a bit too excited for her birthday pancakes and party later. Isn't that right, love?" JJ nods and looks to Sandy.

" ** _Yeah, Mamma_**! ** _Excited for party_**!" Sandy just nods, excepting that explanation and then tells Emily she can help Jenny change because, for some reason, the little girl completely refused her help. Emily nods too, and Sandy leaves the room, presumably to warm Jenny's birthday pancakes up.

Emily turns to Jenny after Sandy shuts the door. "All right, princess. Would you like some help rinsing off in the tub and putting on your new shorts?" Jenny just nods, tired of all this, and ready to get to her party.

* * *

 ** _*Back downstairs. 8:30 a.m.*_**

When Jenny and Emily finally get back downstairs, the preschooler refuses to let Emily out of her sight. She knows her mommy is going to ask why she had an accident because she always asks. 'Did you have a bad dream?', 'Were you so excited to play with your toys that you forgot to take a potty break' or even, 'Did something happen that made you pee-pee in your big girl panties and not the big girl potty?'

Michael hands Jenny her plate of pancakes. There are two pancakes have smilie faces on them. One smilie face has a whipped cream smile, two slices of strawberries for eyes, and a slice of bananas for a nose. The second one has a whipped cream smile, two banana slices for eyes, and a slice of strawberry for a nose.

This is the same breakfast that Sandy and Michael have made the last three birthdays. Over the years, the pancakes have slowly grown in size to accommodate the little girl's increasing appetite.

"Here you go, birthday girl," Michael says, handing Jenny the place and giving her a kiss on the head. Then he hands her a glass of milk. "And to go with it, I have a _big_ glass of chocolate milk."

"Oh, that looks yummy, _Bug,"_ Emily says. "Can I have a bite?" Jenny nods and happily gives Emily a slice of strawberry that has been dipped in the whipped cream. Emily nods approvingly. Emily helps JJ cut her pancake and ends up just feeding it to her as JJ suddenly becomes shy and doesn't want to eat on her own.

The girls silently talk to each other while eating. Emily shows JJ the signs for 'fork', 'plate', 'cup', 'milk', etc. each time she gives JJ a bite of food or helps her to hold the "big girl" cup and take a sip. JJ signs back each time, coping Emily. She signs 'please, more' for another bite or 'please, milk' for a sip of her drink.

Soon, Jenny has finished eating, and Sandy sends her back upstairs to wash her hands and then the four of them, plus Rosaline and Elijah, head to the living room.

"Okay, birthday girl," Sandy says. "Sissy, Bubby, and I have been looking and I think we found a present that was just begging to be opened early. Do you know someone who can help with opening it?"

Jenny's eyes light up and the preschooler beams. "Me, Mamma! Me, me, me!" Sandy hands her a present and JJ tears into it. It is a tea set.

"Its'uh tea set! Mamma, 'ook!" JJ holds up the box and beams. _It's a tea set! Mamma, look!_

"I see that, baby! And look: what's that on the plates and cups?" Jenny turns the box around and looks at it. The tea set is white with pink trim and a pink butterfly in the middle of each piece.

"Fuh'er'eyes!" JJ shouts happily. "Emmy, look!" She shows Emily the box. _Flutterbyes, aka, butterflies._

"I see that, _Love_ ," Emily tells her, sitting on the floor beside her. JJ scoots closer and says,

" ** _Please, tea, Emmy_**?"

"Sure, _Love_. Is there something you want to say to your mommy and daddy first, though?"

" ** _Thank you, Mamma! Thank you, Daddy_**!" She turns to Emily then. "Now, Emmy?"

"Sure, bug, let's go." The go upstairs after Michael opens the box. Once they are up there, Jenny busies her with gathering all her dolls and bears.

After a few moments of watching the preschooler organize her things around the table, Emily decides to bring up the inevitable question. "Jenny," She starts and the preschooler looks up at her. "Do you want to play a game with me really quick?"

Jenny just shrugs. " ** _Why_**? **_Tea party_**?"

Emily scoots closer. "Well, we can do that in a few minutes. Right now, I want to talk to you about something. Okay?"

Jenny sighs but nods anyway. She moves closer to Emily, the clinginess having not worn off, before deciding to just climb onto Emily lap. The older girl sits crisscrossed and allows the preschooler to sit on her folded legs.

"I wanted to ask you a question." She says. "Can I do that?" JJ just shrugs. Emily takes a deep breath and finally asks the question she has been dreading, "Jen, I need to know what your dream was about last night." JJ's eyes widen just the slightest and then go back to normal. Emily thinks it seems _too_ mastered for a preschooler, but does not comment on it. She has bigger issues right now.

"B-but my bean w-wuh-ent a-about aheding." She stutters only heightening Emily's confusion and her concern. _But my dream wasn't about anything._

"Baby, if you tell me, then it stays between us. Okay?" She did not say 'promise' because she knows she will need to tell someone if JJ says something bad.

JJ stays quiet and looks down at the table. Emily leans over, propping her chin up in her hand, acting as if this conversation was about the newest Happy Meal toy at McDonald's and not about something serious like the nightmare the four-year-old had the night before.

"Jenny, you don't have to tell me if you don't want too. But baby, I don't like seeing you sad. You know that right?"

Jenny just nods.

"And what do I tell you when you are sad?"

JJ shrugs and hides her face in Emily's shoulder. Her shyness and reluctance to speak except for shrugs, nods, or head shakes is beginning to make a show already today.

"Ooh 'aye it beh-er." JJ mumbles, barely audible or understandable. _You make it better._

Emily doesn't really think she will get much out of JJ, but she doesn't really know what to do. Does she tell Sandy and Michael? Should she go to her dad? All of this to decide and on Jenny's birthday; a day she is supposed to be happy on.

"Do you want to tell me why you were sad in your dream? If you do, I bet I can make you feel better." She smiles gently at the preschooler, hoping to elicit some kind of response regarding the actual nightmare.

"No!" JJ replies, no longer speaking in a whisper but in a normal-volume voice. She rapidly shakes her head and Emily can see the tears in her eyes. "I 'an't! Doh 'aye me." Her bottom lip trembles and Emily puts an arm around her.

"Okay, okay, alright." Emily stops her. "It's okay. Sweetheart, all I want to know is why you were sad in your dream. You don't have to tell me what happened or who did it. But can you at least tell _why_ you were sad?"

"I 'an't, Emmy," She sniffles. "He 'elled me naw 'oo." JJ sniffles again, obviously not realizing her slip-up. _I can't, Emmy. He telled me not too._

Emily cocks her head at that. "Who said not too, _Love_?"

"No 'ell, Emmy! P'ease, doh 'aye me. 'Ay, Emmy? Doh 'aye me." Emily just nods. _No tell, Emmy! Please, dont make me. 'Kay, Emmy? Don't make me._

She decides finding out is not worth it. At least not today. She is going to make sure JJ is as happy as she can be today. And she will definitely keep an eye on her Uncle Jack; that is until she finds a different source of JJ's bad dreams.

Besides, the more she pushes the worse it makes JJ's speech.

She does not know what he could be doing to her to make her act this way. On the other hand, Emily does not know if it even _is_ a he. Is her uncle (or one of her aunts) the only one that spanks JJ and now she's afraid of them? Do they yell at her or tell her she's a bad girl for having simple accidents? (Spilling milk, dropping cookies on the floor.) She has an uncle who does that. Her uncle Jon sometimes gets a little out of control with his anger.

Emily once saw him grab up one of her cousins and swat them for spilling (and breaking) a glass of milk. She was shocked; never in all her life has she seen one of her aunts or uncles do that. Her dad nor any of the other adults has ever laid a hand on her or her cousins in a non-loving way and vice-versa.

Of course, her Aunt Jaq caught him and said he needed to learn to control his anger and realize that sometimes accidents are going to happen. And that Alex, (her seven-year-old cousin), did not need that swat just because he spilled his milk. It was an accident, simple as that.

Maybe that is what is wrong with Jenny and her Uncle Jack. Maybe he has anger issues too, and he gets upset over small things. Maybe he has swatted JJ for spilling milk or having an accident and now she is scared of him. Maybe she and her siblings and cousins are walking on thin ice around Jack all the time like her family does sometimes with her uncle Jon.

Maybe.

Maybe.

 _Maybe_.

"Okay, baby. I promise. We won't talk about it anymore, okay?" Jenny nods. "Good. Now, how 'bout you dry those tears up and let me see that pretty smile of yours? Can you do that?" She wipes JJ's tears away and kisses her nose. "I don't think Mr. Bear likes it when you cry and I don't either." After a couple minutes, JJ's tears stop and she smiles up at Emily.

Emily smiles back at her and wraps her arms around the smaller girl. "Now, how about we finish playing tea party, huh? Sound good?"

"Yeah!" JJ beams.

"All right. What do you think we should have? Tea and cookies or milk and cookies?" She sees the same confused look as she sees with Aubrey. So she takes two cups and says,

"This is the milk," She holds up the left cup. Then she holds up the right one and says, "This is the tea. Which one would you like?"

" ** _Milk_**!" She smiles and jumps out of Emily's lap. "We guy-uh 'ive ev'yone suh!" _We gotta give everyone some!_

When she is happy and does not feel pressured to speak and be understood, Emily has learned this means JJ will speak with her words more often. It is only in public, like the store or the park, or when people are saying out loud and in front of JJ, that they cannot understand her in a tone that is perceived as not friendly, mocking, or even rude, that JJ becomes shy and her self-esteem plummets, causing her to go mute and only communicate with nods, head shakes, points, etc.

She sets out the plates and cups very carefully. She also has play food to go with her tea set so she runs over to her toy box to get it. She pulls out a Ziploc baggy containing four 'play' chocolate chip cookies.

"Hewe, Emmy." She hands Emily the bag. Then she sets up her bears. A stuffed cat, dog, and her favorite stuffed bear from her Grandma. "'Ooh gih dem 'oo-ees. I gih dem **_milk_**." _Here, Emmy. You give them cookies. I give them milk._

Emily watches as the preschooler carefully takes the teapot and pours 'milk' into each of the cups. She has watched her mom pour milk, juice, and tea out of a teapot enough that she knows what to do. When she is done with that, Emily hands out the cookies.

"All right, _Bug._ Let's get started." Emily picks up the little teacup and pretends to take a drink. She smiles when she sees JJ frown at the way she is holding her teacup.

"'Ooh I-uh ooh 'is, Emmy," She says, carefully holding out her pinkie like a pro. "See?" _You gotta do it like this, Emmy._

Emily nods. She has a hard time understanding what JJ is saying here, as she is not a _complete_ pro at knowing what the little blonde says all the time. But, she sees that JJ is holding out her pinky finger, and knows that she said the words "you" or "do" and the word "this", so she deducts that JJ might want her to hold her own pinkie finger out.

She smiles and holds her ring finger out in a teasing manner. "Like this?"

"No, Em!" She frowns and goes over to Emily. She takes Emily's pinkie and sticks it out, concentrating heavily on the task. Finally, Emily quits messing with her and lets the little girl control her finger. "Lie 'is." She says, having finally gotten Emily's pinkie out. _No, Em! Like this._

"Oh, okay." The preteen says, grinning at the blonde. "I see. Well, I think Mr. Bear and Kitty need help too. Do you think you can help them take a drink of their milk and eat their cookies?" The blonde nods eagerly, leaping up from her spot in Emily's lap and over to the other side of the table.

She lifts the teacup up to her bear's face. "He lies da **_milk,_** Emmy." She grins and then grabs the cookie. _He likes the milk, Emmy._

"Does Mr. Bear like the cookie?" Jenny nods enthusiastically.

The girls do not see her, but Sandy stands in the doorway watching this incredible person that has made such an impact on her girls' lives. She watches as Emily helps JJ 'feed' her stuffed animals, pretending that Kitty and Puppy are drinking out of the teacups and then bringing the cookies up to their mouths.

Sandy decides to leave the girls in peace. She has work to do; straightening up the living room, getting the table for JJ's presents ready and getting the plates and cups out for JJ's party. They decided to have a lunch birthday party so some of Jen's friends from preschool could come. Therefore, Jack and Caleb are going to help Michael grill hamburger and hot dogs while Sandy makes mac and cheese for the little kids.

" ** _Please, color,_** Emmy?" Jenny asks Emily after about five minutes of playing tea party.

"You don't want to play tea party anymore?" Jenny shakes her head.

"Okay. Well, what do you want to color?" JJ takes out her crayons and coloring books. She has several Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving coloring books. She picks out several sheets that have beach items on them like beach balls, sandcastles, umbrellas and sand toys, and hands a couple to Emily.

" ** _Do it,_** Emmy, 'ay?" She hands her a picture of a sandcastle.

"Okay, and what are you going to color, bug?" Jenny holds up one of a sandcastle and an umbrella, bucket, and shovel.

"'Is!" She smiles and then turns back to her toy box. She digs around in it and eventually finds her box of jumbo crayons.

Emily decides to continue with helping JJ learn her colors. She overheard Sandy talking one day and found out that if JJ cannot learn them over the summer, she will have to go back to the 3/4-year-olds rooms instead of moving on to the 4/5-year-olds room.

Emily volunteers to help her learn them and, so far, JJ knows red, blue, orange, and Sandy says she has gone over the colors pink and purple with her, but she doesn't think she did a very good job.

Emily decides to work on the colors yellow (for the sun), black and white, and purple and pink (for the flowers). She's taught JJ the colors blue and green, (from Rosaline's birthday) and since then she has worked on red, white, and black.

She picks up a jumbo yellow crayon and carefully colors in the sun on her page. Then she says to Jenny, "Love, do you want to learn some more colors today?" JJ's eyes light up and she nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" Emily smiles back. The little girl's happiness is infectious today. She picks up the yellow crayon. "Do you know what color this is?" She asks as a starting-off question.

Jenny beams. " ** _Sun_**!"

"That's right. It is the color of the sun. But do you know the name of it?" JJ thinks for a minute before she proudly announces,

" ** _Yellow_**!" and Emily nods.

"That's right! Good job, _Love."_ She holds up the green crayon next. "What about this color?" JJ beams again.

" ** _Green_**!" Emily nods; Sandy must have been working with her on the few days that Emily was too busy to come over. Next, Emily holds up the red crayon, just to be sure, JJ is remembering what she taught her. "Do you know what color this is, Jenny?"

"Um…" JJ pauses for a minute as she tries to remember. Finally, she answers, " ** _Red_**?" and Emily nods.

"Yes! Very good! Has your mommy been teaching you the colors?" JJ nods.

"That's good. Now, let's do another one, okay?" She picks up a pink crayon. "Do you know this color?"

Jenny just frowns and shakes her head and Emily nods. "Okay, it is the color pink. Can you say that? P-i-nk." She takes the crayon and writes the word 'pink' in it on a piece of paper.

"Puh, puh, puh, _p_. Can you say that, love?"

"Puh, puh, puh. P!"

"Great job!" She praises and JJ beams.

"Now say, i-uh, i-uh, i-uh. Can you say that?"

"I-uh, i-uh, i-uh." JJ copies Emily who nods encouragingly. Then she sighs.

" ** _All finished_**!" JJ signs, meaning she wants to be done with learning her colors.

"Almost, _Bug._ We need to be done with this color and then we can draw and color your pictures. Okay?"

" ** _No! All finished!_** " Emily sighs. She decides to leave it for the day. After all, it is JJ's birthday and she should get to do what she wants.

"Okay, we're done for the day. Let's color."

"Yay!" Jenny cheers causing Emily to smile. JJ grabs some crayons and begins coloring in the normal four-year-old version of coloring a picture. Emily goes on to color her picture, adding birds to her sky and a smilie face to her sun. Then she adds some flowers as well.

The girls spend the next 15 minutes altering between coloring and drawing.

* * *

 **Here it is! I want to say thank-you to the guest reviewer who has been persistent and kept asking me to update this. :)**

 **Can you figure out what is up with JJ and her speech? Emily did try to talk to JJ and she thought of reasons why JJ is scared of Jack, but she doesn't have the answer just yet.**

 **Please review! Let me know what you thought. :)**

 **Up Next:** ** _part 2 of this chapter_** **.**


	7. Another Year Older pt 2

_**JJ's 4th birthday party, pt. 2**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to be honest with all of you. This chapter kind of got out of hand. So if you want to skip the first half and just go straight to the birthday party, then I will have it marked.**

 **Note: Mamma is pronounced the same as Momma/Mama.**

 **Eliza & Margaret: 5½ years old.  
Leslie & Natalie: 2 years old. (going on 3)  
Madeline: 12 years old.  
Emily: 12 years old.**

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, July 12, 1982_**

* * *

 ** _*Jareau household*_**

At noon, Sandy comes back upstairs to get the girls. JJ's party guests are arriving in about half an hour and she still needs to get dressed.

"I picked out an outfit if you would like to help her get dressed, Emily," Sandy tells her. "Caleb, Maria, and their twins are already here, but I told them to wait down here so you two can get dressed."

Emily smiles and nods, after which, Sandy leaves. Emily turns to the little girl occupied in her coloring and says,

"Come on, _Bug_ ," Emily stands up. "Your mama says she picked out a pretty blue dress and some tights for you to wear. Let's go brush your teeth and then we can put your dress on." The girls go to the bathroom where they both brush their teeth and Emily helps JJ wash her face.

Then they head back to her room and both get dressed, JJ in her dress and tights and Emily in a nice shirt and pair of leggings with her hair pulled into a side-braid.

"Emmy, **_my hair, too_**?" The little blonde asks after seeing Emily tie her hair up.

"You want me to braid your hair, too?" JJ nods and Emily begins to brush her blonde curls, pulling them back into a French braid just like her Aunt Julie taught her. When she is done, Emily ties in a pretty blue ribbon to the end of each braid.

Then the two head downstairs where Caleb, Maria, and their twin daughters are. Elizabeth runs over to her cousin and gives her a big hug.

* * *

 ** _*Downstairs in the living room*_**

"Happy Birthday, Jenny!" She beams and then turns to Emily. "Hi, Emily!"

"Hello, Elizabeth," Emily smiles back. "How are you?"

"I'm good! Jenny, we got you a pwesent. Wanna go see it?" The two run off and Emily watches Elizabeth and Margaret show Jenny a present that is in green with pink polka dots wrapping paper. There is another one beside it, a smaller one, in the exact same paper.

Emily sits on the couch and waits with Jenny and her cousins for the other guests to arrive. About ten minutes later, JJ's cousins, Natalie and Leslie, and their parents, Amber and Jack, arrive. Jenny runs over to Natalie and Lee-Lee with Emily following. She is keeping a close eye on Jack and how he acts around JJ.

 ******* "Hey, Jenny," He smiles at the preschooler who backs up against Emily. The older girl puts a protective hand on her shoulder.

"Hi, Uh Jah," She fake-smiles at her uncle. She glances around and, in the pure innocence of a four-year-old, asks, "Dih 'ooh **_bring presents_**?" _Hi, Uncle Jack. Did you bring presents?_

Jack just shrugs which causes Jenny to frown. She knows that whenever her uncle shrugs like that, it means the answer is no to whatever was asked.

"No, I thought I'd just give you swats this year," He grins and it once again sends a chill down Emily's spine. "You know, to encourage you to stop speaking like a little baby. You are…four this year right?" He asks in what Emily assumes is supposed to be a playful voice. He doesn't accomplish that very well.

"That means you get four swats and one to last all the way until next year." He makes as if he is going to grab her, but JJ jumps squeals and jumps behind Emily.

"No!" She shrieks and Emily steps in between the two.

"Uh…actually, sir, I think Mrs. Jareau needs JJ in the kitchen," She turns to the scared little girl. "Come on, _Love_ ; let's go see your mama and aunties. I bet we can help them with lunch." As the two girls walk away, Jack yanks on Emily's arm, pulling her back to him, and almost causing her to lose her balance.

"Emmy!" Jenny yells, surprised at her uncle and scared for her friend. "Uh Jah! Leh hew go!" The preschooler kicks her uncle in the shins hard enough that he lets Emily go. Then he turns his anger on the little girl. _Uncle Jack! Let her go!_

"Listen here, brat. I don't care if it is your birthday or not, I will not have you disrespectin' me like that, do you understand? Now, come here!" He grabs her arm and pulls back his hand, intending to give her a swat on the bottom. Emily once again steps in between the two, pushing JJ behind her.

"Sir, _I_ don't care if you are her uncle or not. _I_ will not have _you_ speaking like to her like that. Now, we are going to the kitchen and I suggest you calm yourself down because no one likes an out-of-control temper." Once again, Emily attempts to walk away but Jack grabs her arm again. This time though, Emily turns to Jennifer who is looking more terrified by the moment.

"Emmy?" She whimpers, eyes flickering between her uncle and her best friend who is in his tight grip.

"Jennifer," He growls, his eyes never leaving Emily's face. "Go to the kitchen. Emily and I need to have a little chat."

"No! Leh Emmy go, Uh Jah!" She stomps her foot. Jack bends over so his face is next to JJ's. The little girl jumps away and goes behind Emily. Jack doesn't say anything, just looks at the preschooler with an angry look in his eyes. _Let Emmy go, Uncle Jack!_

"Go to the kitchen, _Love_ ," Emily whispers gently, hoping the little girl will listen to her. "I'll be fine."

"No, Eh-me," JJ is getting upset and Emily knows this will lead to the little girl becoming so distraunt that her words will be a bunch of sounds mumbled and slurred together.

And, she is about 99.99% positive that Jackson Jareau is the not the kind of man that will encourage JJ to slow her breathing, therefore making her words easier to be understood.

"Me wuh 'ooh cuh," She whispers and clings tighter to Emily's leg. Normally, by now, she would stop talking all together, but she is too upset to even try to think about what signs she needs to use to express herself, so she just keeps speaking "with her words". _Me want you to come._

The older girl tries to get out of the older man's grip and, when she can't, she rubs the back of Jenny's head with her free hand. She glances around, the living room seemingly empty and wonders why Sandy, Michael, or even Amber has not come back in yet.

She assumes Sandy is in the kitchen, maybe with Maria and Amber, making lunch while the men are outside grilling and the kids are playing in the backyard. Emily looks down at the scared little girl and makes up her mind.

"Ve a ver a su tía Amber, _Amor_." _Go see your Aunt Amber, Love._

JJ quickly nods and runs off to the kitchen. When she is gone, Jack yanks Emily back to face him. He tightens his grip on her arm, no doubt leaving bruises, and Emily doesn't have time to think about how odd it was that Jenny understood what she said even though it was in Spanish.

"Look here, little missy," He growls in her ear. "I don't know who you think you are or even what the hell you are doing here, but I will not have you come waltzing in here thinking you are going to come between me and my family. I want you to stay away from Jennifer and my daughters, and my nieces, as well. And if I see you around them, then I will make sure you regret ever meeting Rosaline and Jennifer. Do not test me, young lady, because I can make your life a living hell. Do I make myself clear?

Emily just stands there, shocked, with her eyes wide. Well, her theory of Jack having an out-of-control anger problem just went to the top of her list. She shakes herself of her stunned state just as Amber is walking over to them.

"Jack! What do you think you are doing?!" She yells. As she comes closer, Jack releases Emily, and she is immediately ran into by Jen. Emily picks her up and is met with an ironclad grip with JJ's arms around her neck and her legs latched around Emily's waist.

"I was just getting to know Emily, honey, that's all," He says and Emily scoffs. Thankfully, Amber does not believe him right away and she turns to Emily to confirm his story.

"Is this true, Emily?"

Emily makes sure to look Jack right in the eye as she answers, wanting to prove to him that he does _not_ scare her.

"Actually, ma'am, your husband grabbed my arm and yanked me back when Jennifer and I tried to the leave the room." Emily starts in, deciding to tell the whole story and not leave anything out. She sees Amber's eyes widen slightly, and she glances at her husband.

"Because of that, Jennifer kicked him in the shins, entirely in defense of me. Then, he tried to grab her up and swat her bottom. He threatened her, telling her he 'didn't care if it was her birthday' and she wasn't to 'disrespect him again'. When I intervened, he grabbed my arm again, frightening Jenny and myself."

"Jack!" Amber gasps, astounded and turning to face her husband fully. "Why on earth would you do something like that?"

"Oh, but that isn't all." Emily continues and Amber whips around to face her. For the first time, she sees her niece, who does indeed look terrified, in Emily's arms. The brunette has one arm wrapped around her in a secure way, the other rubbing gently up and down the little blonde's back.

"What do you mean 'that's not all?'"

"Well, let's see: there's him grabbing my arm a second time and then him threatening me. He said and I quote 'stay away from Jennifer, his daughters, and his nieces.' And if he sees me around them, then he will 'make my life a living hell.'" Emily finishes recounting her story and leaves Amber standing with her mouth agape. She doesn't notice it, but Sandy, Maria, and Caleb have walked into the room as well.

Before anyone can say anything else, Emily speaks up again, this time directing her words straight to Jack. "Oh, and just so you know, you can threaten me all you want. But I'd watch out if I were you. You say or do the wrong thing to me and I'll go straight to my father."

Jack just scoffs. "Oh, you little baby. Are you going to go cry to your daddy because I was _me-ean_ to you?" He taunts, and this time it isn't just Amber who looks at him, shocked. It is his whole family. They all look at him as if seeing this side, this astonishing and, quite frankly, scary side of him for the very first time.

"Jackson! What is the matter with you?!" It's Maria asking this time, but the man just ignores her.

"Oh, it won't be just my dad." Emily continues. "It will be my uncle, who is a sergeant on the police force. It will my two other uncles, one who teaches a self-defense class and the other who teaches tie-quoin-do. It will be two of my aunts, who are both police officers and deal with this kind of stuff daily. And, last but not least, it will be my other uncle, my Uncle Joey, who deals particularly with domestic violence."

"So, yeah; I'd run home to my dad and tell him you have been threatening his child with bodily harm, but, I'd also tell my other family members. But your real concern here is that your wife and family members and, most importantly, this innocent little girl," She gestures to Jenny who has her arms in an iron-grip around Emily's neck and her face buried in Emily's neck as well. "had to see you lose your temper and threaten a _twelve-year-old_ girl with violence."

"So, the next time you want to threaten me, why don't you take a step back and think about the consequences?" With that, Emily leaves the room, presumably to go to the kitchen to calm Jenny down. She has Maddie, Jenny's oldest cousin, her twin sisters, and Sandy following her.

Caleb walks over to his brother-in-law and says, "Alright, Jack. I think it is time you and I go for a walk. You need to get control of your anger and I will _not_ have you disrespecting and being rude to Jennifer and Rosaline's best friend." Caleb slowly but forcibly pushes Jack out of the door with Amber following. Emily can hear her yelling things like 'what were you thinking?!' and 'threatening an innocent child like that; you should be ashamed!' *******

* * *

 ** _*In the kitchen. (Michael is outside cleaning the grill)*_**

"Oh, Emily," Sandy starts as soon as the kitchen door is closed. She walks over to the preteen who has her youngest daughter in her lap. "I am _so_ sorry that Jackson treated you that way. I wish I could say that it was a surprise, but you were right. He does have an out-of-control anger problem and he has gone off on several of us before." The older woman bends down in front of Emily.

"But the real concern here is that you are ok. You are all right, aren't you? He didn't hurt your arm too bad? Did he hit you or do anything else?" Concern shines deeply in Sandy's eyes as well as Maria's who is standing behind Sandy. Madeline comes over and drags a chair over to sit beside Emily. She runs a hand through her baby cousin's hair, playing with the braids.

Before Emily can speak, she hears a tiny voice from behind Sandy. "Mommy?" It's JJ's cousin, Elizabeth. "Mamma, why was Daddy bein' so mean to Miss Em'ly?"

She hears Maria sighs before she speaks, "I don't know, baby. But I don't want you to worry, okay? Because everything is ok now. Uncle Caleb took daddy outside so daddy can calm down and take some deep breaths. Remember when mommy tells you to put all your anger into a ball and kick it as far as you can all the way to the moon?"

"Yeah. You say to…" That conversation fades into the background as Emily turns back to Sandy.

"I'm okay, Sandy," Emily says. "He just startled me, that's all. He didn't have time to do any real damage and I think Jenny being scared was the worst of it." At the mention of her name, the blonde's head pops up from Emily's neck.

" ** _Mamma_**?"

"Oh, baby, come here. Are you okay? Uncle Jack didn't hurt you did he?" Sandy goes to reach for JJ, but the blonde just turns back to Emily. " ** _No, Mamma_**."

" _Love_ , your Mamma just wants to know if you're okay. Can you tell her if you are?" Emily whispers gently to the little girl.

"Me 'ay, Mamma." Jenny whispers and her mom smiles sadly. Emily smiles at the little girl, letting her know she is proud that she is using her words instead of just staying silent. _Me ok, Mamma._

"Good, I'm happy that you're ok," Sandy whispers back. "I was really worried about you, baby."

"Emmy 'ay?" Jenny asks, turning to her best friend. The older girl nods. _Emmy ok?_

"Yeah, _Love_. Emmy is okay. I was just scared, that's all." She bends her head down so it is closer to JJ's and kisses the preschooler on the nose, in slow, gentle motion, almost like a mother comforting her daughter.

"Good," The little girl smiles. "Me no lie Emmy's **_sad_**." She whispers causing Emily to smile and let out a breathy laugh. _Good. Me no like it when Emmy is sad._

"I know, _Love_ ," Emily whispers back. She leans down and kisses the preschooler's nose again.

" ** _Love_** **_you_** , Emmy." The little girl whispers as her family looks on. "I love you, _Babygirl_ ," Emily says back.

"Why don't you and I go outside and we can play with your cousins until your friends get here," Emily suggests, wanting to take JJ's mind off what happened. Sandy's eyes widen and Emily immediately asks what is wrong.

"Outside…Michael doesn't know what happened." She shakes her head. "Never mind that; he doesn't need to know. Today is about Jenny and celebrating her birthday. So, Jenny, why don't you go outside and you can play with some chalks, but be careful and don't get your pretty dress dirty, okay?"

Emily smiles. "Yeah, we can read on the porch or play with the chalk and then when your friends get here, we can go to the living room and play with your toys. How's that sound?"

Jenny glances towards the door with a scared look on her face. Emily notices and asks what's wrong. " ** _Uncle Jack_**?" JJ says scrunching up her face to show she was saying the name in a question form.

"You don't need to worry about him," Sandy tells her. "Uncle Caleb and Aunt Amber will make sure he is calmed down before he comes back inside. Okay?"

JJ shakes her head though, hiding her face in Emily's neck. Sandy sighs when she sees this.

"You'll be ok to go out there, baby. Mommy will not let Uncle Jack in the backyard, okay? I'll make him stay inside so he won't bother you or cousins or sissy and bubby." Again, JJ shakes her head and says,

" ** _Stay here_**."

"I know you want to, sweetie. But you need to go outside because once your friends get here, you won't be able to go out because you'll get dirty."

JJ crosses her arms defiantly. " ** _No_**." She insists.

"Baby, I promise you'll be fine. Remember, Uncle Robert is going to be bringing a bouncy house later? You'll want to change into play clothes and bounce, won't you?" Sandy reminds her having just remembered herself that her brother-in-law is coming later with his wife and three kids.

" ** _Yes_** ," She goes to reject the idea again, but Emily steps in this time, putting some authority to her voice.

"Jennifer, look at me." The preschooler turns to her and she continues. "Good. Now, are you listening?" Jenny nods and she continues. "Okay. Now, we are going to go outside, all right. Either we can read a story together or you and your cousins can play with your chalk. Then, when your friends get here, we'll come inside and you show them your pretty tea set. Okay?"

The preschooler sighs. She's smart; she knows that Emmy and her mommy won't let anyone hurt her. Besides, she _could_ show Emily how good she is at drawing a smilie face with the chalk.

Jenny nods her head. "' ** _O.K. Emmy_** ," She hops down from Emily's lap and then grabs her hand. " ** _Come on, Emmy_**!"

"Girls, why don't you go out also?" Maria asks her daughters.

"Okay! Come on, 'Liza! Let's go **play**!" Margaret signs the words as she, too, has been learning sign language from Emily. Just the basics for right now, though, she is nowhere near knowing as much as JJ does.

Elizabeth and her sister run outside with Madeline following. She has Leslie on her back giving the little tyke a piggyback ride. Natalie skips over to her Aunt Maria and beams.

"Aun' 'rie, come too!" She says happily.

"You want me to come outside with you guys?" Maria confirms. Natalie nods enthusiastically. "What's the magic word?"

"P'ease!"

"Thank you. Now come on, you two rascals," She picks both of them up, throwing them over her shoulder, making them squeal and giggle. "Let's go see what your sister and cousins are up too."

"Emmy, me too!" Jenny says jumping up and down. "Piggyback too!" Emily helps the younger girl up onto a chair and lets her climb on to her back. Then the two head outside where Michael is just finishing on cleaning the grill.

JJ runs over to him and gives him a big hug before running back over to the sidewalk. The kids jump around and play. Eliza and Maggie play hopscotch while Elijah and Rosaline play tic-tac-toe. They are only out there for about ten minutes before JJ's other party guests - her friends from school – start to arrive.

First are 4-year-old Parker Allen and his big brother Graham, who is five years old and starting kindergarten in the fall.

Sandy calls the kids in and Jenny immediately runs over to her friend. "Hi!" She says.

"Hi, JJ!" Parker says excitedly. "Happy Birthday!"

"Happy Birthday, JJ!" Graham says also. "Here's your presents!" He hands her two bags, both with princesses on them.

"Go put them on your present table, sweetie," Sandy tells her and she skips over to the table.

Next to arrive are David Smith and Zachery (Zach) Thomas. They come together because Zach lives next door to Davie and Davie's mom often watches the little boy.

Ashley and Veronica Tyler are next. Veronica's situation is very complicated. Her parents died in a car crash when she was only 1-year-old. Ashley's parents, Jeff and Barbra, took her in as a foster child and then adopted her five months before her second birthday. They already had a daughter, Ashley Lynn Tyler and she and Veronica quickly became partners in crime. They were best friends from day one.

Once everyone has arrived and the presents are placed on the correct table, Michael begins grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs so the kids will have time to play.

The kids are dressed nice, in little dresses for the girls and nice pants and a shirt for the boys. They are, however, going to change in some play clothes once lunch is over, JJ has opened her presents, and everyone has had cake and ice cream.

" ** _Ash, 'Ronica! Come see my tea set_**!" JJ signs to her two best friends. The two little girls run over to JJ who is sitting at the coffee table with her tea set out.

"Wow! There so p'itty!" Ashley says as she takes a cup.

"Can we play tea party, JJ?" Veronica asks. JJ nods and begins handing out the teacups and little saucers.

" ** _Zach! You're the tea giver_**." She hands him the teapot and he starts to 'pour' the tea into the cups. Next, JJ gives everyone some 'sugar' and 'cream'.

" ** _You gotta do_ this**." She says, once again demonstrating how to hold the teacup with her pinkie out.

"Yeah! That's how you have prosper tea!" Ashley giggles.

"What 'bout me and Zach?" David asks. "What'd we gotta do?"

"You're our husba'ds!" Veronica says. "You gotta go to work. Then we cook your food when you get home."

"Okay! Come on, Zach! Let's go to work!" The two run over to JJ's play bin that is downstairs. Parker and Graham are already over there. They dig around in it, knowing that it has some of Elijah's left over play trucks and solider men in it. The boys play with them for a few minutes, fighting in a 'war' and pretending to shoot each other's soldiers. Then they go home, which is back over to the couch.

"Honey, we're home!" Zach, David, and Parker all say cheerfully.

Ashley pretends to be surprised. "Hi, ho- _ney_ ," She says. "Look, I maked you tea." She points to the couch. "Come sit down and let me get you da cup." David, Parker, and Zach all sit down. JJ hands a cup to Parker, Ash hands hers to Zach, and Veronica hands hers to Davie.

"Thanks for da tea, honey." Zachary says after 'drinking' it. "This is yummy!"

JJ giggles at the boys' over-enthusiasm at drinking tea. " ** _You silly_**!"

"Yeah, my husba'd is goofy. That's why I like him." Ash leans over and tries to give Zach a kiss on the cheek, but the little boy squeals and jumps back.

" _Ewww_! Gwoss! Don't kiss me, Ashley!" Zach yells making them giggle.

"Jenny," Emily says as she approaches the group of preschoolers. "Who are these little girls and boys?" She asks.

"Emmy!" JJ squeals. " ** _My friends_**!"

"Really?" Emily asks, pretending not to know. "Well, what are your friends' names?" JJ just shrugs and hides her face like she suddenly too shy to speak. So, EMily looks to the kids and asks them to say their names.

"My name is Veronica Lynn!"

"I'm Parker and this is my big bwother, Gwaham!"

"I'm David!"

"My name is Zachary but I like Zach better!" The little boy, upon seeing that Ashley is also shy, says, "And this is Ashley, but you can name her Ash!"

Ashley gives a tiny wave, all of a sudden becoming shy around the new person.

"Hi, Ash. I like your pretty shirt." Emily tells her and the little brunette smiles bashfully.

"Thank you, Emmy." She whispers.

"All right, kids," Sandy walks into the living room and over to the little kids. Both sets of twins are now over on the couch as well. "it's time for lunch. Please come into the kitchen." All the kids jump up and run into the kitchen where Michael and Caleb are bringing in the food.

Tables have been carried in from the storage shed outside and along with those, the kitchen table has been set with JJ's butterfly-themed plates, napkins, and balloons with the forks and spoons matching in color. The tablecloth is pink and purple with summertime bugs like butterflies, bees, and caterpillars on it.

Emily brings JJ over to the counter and picks her up. "All right, _Love_." She sits the preschooler on the counter and gets two plates. " ** _What would you like to eat_**?" Jenny just shrugs. She doesn't really enjoy being in the kitchen, especially when she can see Jack standing across the room. The little preschooler tightens her grip on Emily hand that is holding her own.

"Well, I am going to fix myself a **_hamburger_**. Would you like some **_mac and cheese_**?"

" ** _Yes, please_** ," JJ replies. She glances around at the food. Mac and cheese with mashed potatoes, hamburgers, and hot dogs with tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, and cheese. So many things to choose from.

Finally, she decides. " ** _That_**." She says, pointing to the hot dogs. Emily nods and places one on the little girl's plate.

"Do you want a bun?" She asks and when JJ shakes her head she moved on too, "What about ketchup?" Jenny nods at this and Emily works at getting the plates ready.

"Do you want **_mashed potatoes_** , _Love_? Or this **_enough_**?"

" ** _Enough_** ," JJ says as Emily helps her down from the counter. She spots her uncle across the room again and takes a step closer to Emily.

"Hey, what's the matter, _Love_?"

Jenny just points across the room to where Jack is talking with Caleb and Amber. Emily nods understandingly.

"That's okay, baby. We'll sit at this table over here, okay?" JJ nods and the two sit down at the table where Eliza, Margaret, and Ashley and Veronica are.

After the kids are done eating their lunch the parents decide to let the kids run off their energy while they rest. Some of the moms take their kids upstairs to change into clothes that would be appropriate for three and four-year-olds to jump and run around in.

Jenny is the first one dressed and she skips downstairs to the backyard to watch her Uncle Robert blow up the bounce house. Emily comes downstairs and sees the adults milling around, putting sunscreen on the kids or helping them with their shoes.

Emily glances around and doesn't see JJ, so she goes to the kitchen. Maria notices the young preteen.

"Hey, Em. What'cha looking for?"

"Jenny. Do you know where she went?" Maria motions to the window and to where Jenny is standing outside watching Robert blow up the bounce house. Emily starts to walk over when she notices a figure standing beside her.

 _Jackson_.

* * *

 ** _*Outside w/Jenny & Jackson. Jen's point of view*_**

I'm outside watchin' my Un'le Robewt blow up da bouncy house. It's gonna be so fun! I know how to do flips and jumps! And Sissy even said she would show me how to do a front flip! I'm so excited!

While I am waiting, Uncle Robert goes to his truck to get something. I like watching the bouncy house blow up. Right now, it's only a little bit up, but I still can't see Uncle Robert.

Suddenly Un'le Jack is beside me. He scares me really bad, especially when he grabs my arms and says, in a really mean voice,

"Listen here, you little brat," He says it in a quiet voice, but it still scares me. "I should wear your ass out for the way you disrespected me earlier. You are old enough to obey me whenever I tell you to do something no matter if it is your birthday or not. I should wear your ass out until you can't even sit down anymore! Then maybe that'll teach you a thing or two."

He is using big words and saying them really fast and I can't understand them. "And your mother and father; lettin' you go around disobeyin' and disrespectin' people like that. You should all be ashamed!"

Un'le Jack jerks my arms and makes me come closer. He has a vewy, vewy scawy face. My arms start t'hurt and it makes me cry. "Uh-uh Jah, p' ease s-s-soh." I say but my words are messed up. Un'le Jack doesn't like when I speak like this. _U-Uncle Jack, please s-stop._

"Uncle Jack, p'ease soh." Un'le Jack says in a meaner voice. It makes me cry more because he is scaring me. "I should wear your ass out," He says again and I know that he keeps saying a bad word. "And I am going to. Come here!"

He jerks my arm again and then hits my bottom really, really hard. It hurts and I cry even more. Then I hear,

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doin'?!" And "Hey! Get away from her!" Suddenly, Un'le Jack is jerked away from me and someone's arms are around me. I get scared and yell, "No! Leh go!" But then I hear,

"You're okay, _Love_." And I stop trying to get away. Instead, I turn around and fling myself at Emmy. I put my head on her neck and keep crying. She rubs my back with one and the other is holding me in a tight hug. I always feel safe in Emmy's arms.

"Em- _me_ ," I say as more tears fall.

"You're okay, baby. I promise you're okay."

"Em-me, he-he-he-he…" I try to tell Emmy Un'le Jack scared me, but my words don't work. Emmy kisses my nose and says,

 _"Babygirl,_ I need you to breathe, okay? Can you take a deep breath for me, _Love_. Huh? Can you take a big breath and try to calm down?" I nod really fast and do what Emmy says. She makes her tummy move in and out. I do it too. She says that's a good girl.

After I make my tummy move in and out, I am not breathing hard. I say, " ** _Emmy_** , **_he scared  me_**. **_He s'ared  me lots_**."

"Oh, I know, _Babygirl._ I do. He scared me, too. But you know what? Your Uncle Caleb and Aunt Amber, they made him go away. And I promise, if you raise your head up, then you won't see him. Can you do that for me, _Love_?"

I raise my head up and look around very, very carefully. I don't see Uncle Jack! Emmy kisses my nose and wipes my tears away.

I hear mommy's voice asking me what happened. I don't want to tell her though. I don't want to get into more trouble with Un'le Jack. But then I hear Un'le Robert's voice. He says,

"I don't know what happened! One minute, Jen is watching me blow up the bounce house, I turn away for one second, and the next thing I know, Jackson has her by the arms and is spanking her!"

"Oh, baby, come here." Mommy reaches for me but I don't want to go with her.

" ** _Emmy_** ,"

"Hey, you're okay. Your mommy just wants to see for herself that you are okay, all right?"

" ** _Mes o.k., Mamma_** ," I say. Then I yawn. " ** _Tired_**."

"Oh, I know honey. You've had a really long day. How about you and Emmy go upstairs and lay down for a nap? You can open your presents later, but for now, you can rest. Okay? Does that sound good?" Yes, it sounds very good. But, I don't want Emmy to leave.

" ** _Emmy, you come too, 'kay? You sing and nap too_**?"

"Yeah, _Love,_ I'll sing you a song and take a nap with you. Now, I am going to stand up and then I will pick you up, okay?"

" ** _'Kay, Emmy_**." Emmy stands up and then picks me up. I lay my head on her shoulder. She takes me inside and upstairs. We go to my room and lay down on my bunk bed on the top.

Emmy tucks me in and then sings me a song. I fall asleep curled up next to her.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. Please review and let me know what you thought. :)**


	8. Back to Where It All Began

_**Back to Where it All Began**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp: 86°F  
** **Low Temp: 63° F  
** **Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own CM or the characters. I do own Emily and JJ's families minus Rosaline and Sandy Jareau.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: T.**

 **Trigger Warning: Mentions of molestation. It will be marked as always.**

 **Notes: This is a filler chapter. It is also going to be a flashback chapter and will have some shocking news.**

 **Rosaline: 3 years old  
Madeline: 3 years old**

* * *

 _ **Flashback: June 21**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 1975**_

* * *

 **Three-year-old Rosaline Alexandra Jareau runs around the backyard, giggling and squealing with her three-year-old cousin Madeline Christine Jareau.**

 **"** **Maddie! Catch me!" She squeals as she dashes across the yard and through the sprinkler.**

 **The girls run around, giggling that little kid giggle, and squealing and all around having a great time. They love preschool – really, they do – but they absolutely adore summertime. The two blondes love that they can go to the beach and stay up late. They even get to sleepovers – for a whole week at a time – and have campfires and roast marshmallows.**

 **"** **I gonna get you!" Maddie yells back. She runs through the sprinkler and then up to her cousin. "Tag! You're it!"**

 **"** **Wosie, guess what!" Maddie says as the two sit on the grass a little while later. "Mamma says we can woast marshmallows tonight."**

 **"** **Cool!" Rosaline's eyes sparkle. "Race you to the s'ides!" The two little tykes race over to the swing set, both declaring they won even though there was only a split-second difference between the two.**

 **"** **Let's p'ay house!" Rosaline says as she grabs her teddy bear from the grass beside the swing set.**

 **"** **You be da mamma and I be da mommy! Teddy can be our lil' boy!"**

 **"** **Otay" Maddie agrees. "Go to work, daddy. I'll cook some yummy food for you to eat." Rosie pretends to go to 'work' and then come 'home'. Maddie hands her the old mixing bowl that Amber had given her. She's put dirt and water it in and made mud.**

 **"** **Its'a delisus cake!" She announces proudly. Rosie pretends to eat it.**

 **"** **That was yummy in my tummy!" She says and Maddie beams at her cousin. The two continue to play house; going to work, making Teddy feel better, cooking 'dinner'.**

 **Later that night, Jack makes a fire outside. Amber brings out the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.**

 **"** **Mamma, Mamma!" Maddie and Rosie dance around happily. Rosaline jumps around, giggling. She gets too close to the fire and,**

 **"** **Hey!" Jack snatches her up by the arm. "Watch what you're doing, Rosaline!" He growls in a scary voice. He swats her a couple of times on the bottom and then grabs her and holds her hand over the fire.**

 **"** **Do you feel that? Huh? Do you like how that feels on your hand?" Jack asks, terrifying his niece and daughter. "It hurts, doesn't it? Doesn't it?" He asks, his voicing raising with each question.**

 **"** **Ow! U'cle Jack, stop!" Rosaline starts crying as does Maddie. Amber comes over and pushes Jack away from the two little girls.**

 **"** **Jack! Stop! You're scaring her!" Amber says, aghast.**

 **"** **Amber, she got right up to the fire! She needed to be taught a lesson!"**

 **"** **And holding her hand to the flame was the only way she could learn it?" Without waiting for an answer, Amber picks Rosaline up and grabs Maddie's hand.**

 **"** **Come on, girls; We can roast marshmallows another night." Rosaline sniffles and nods as she lays her head on her aunt's shoulder. Little Maddie just follows her mother inside without sparing her father another glance.**

 **Upstairs in Madeline's pink and purple Princess themed room, Amber sets up a pallet on the floor by Maddie's bed. The girls are in the bathroom making faces in the mirror and giggling at each other. They're supposed to be brushing their teeth.**

 **"** **Okay girls, come climb into bed," Amber calls and the two girls come running into the room. They each climb into their beds.**

 **"** **Mamma, will you wead us a story, p'ease?"**

 **"** **Sure, baby. Which one?"**

 **"** **Goodnight Moon!" Amber grabs the book off of Maddie's shelf and opens it up to the last page she was on.**

 ** _"_** ** _Goodnight little house and goodnight mouse. Goodnight comb and goodnight brush. Goodnight nobody and goodnight mush."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And goodnight to the old lady whispering "hush"_** **Amber reads, making a 'shh-ing' sound for hush. "** ** _Goodnight stars and goodnight air. Goodnight noises everywhere."_**

 **As she finishes, Amber places the book quietly back on the shelf and then covers to the two sleeping girls up. She kisses both of their foreheads before turning off the lamp and quietly making her way out of the room.**

* * *

 ** _*Later that night. Around midnight*_**

 *****Later that night, when everyone is in bed and asleep, a man tiptoes into the girls' bedroom. He closes the door and switches on the light, waking the two sleeping preschoolers.**

 **"** **Daddy! What're you doin'?" Maddie asks sleepily.**

 **Jack places a finger to his mouth. "Be a good girl, Maddie, and do as you're told." He tiptoes over to her and Rosie, waking the little blonde up who is laying on the floor.**

 **"** **U'cle Jack?" Rosie says sleepily. "What're you doin'?"**

 **"** **Tell her the rules, Madeline." Jacks tells his daughter. Madeline's eyes widen. She shakes her head wildly as her little eyes fill with tears.**

 **"** **No, Daddy, p'ease. We didn't mean t'be bad girls, pwomise. We be good from now on. Pwomise, Daddy." She says in a pleading voice that would break any normal, sane person's heart.**

 **But not Jackson's. No, because he has a heart made of pure, cold ice.**

 **He slaps a hand over his daughter's mouth and gives her 'the look'. "Shut your mouth right now, you stupid little brat. And tell your cousin what she is supposed to do, do you understand me?" Maddie nods rapidly as her cousin looks on, frightened.**

 **"** **Do as Daddy says, Wosie." She tells her. "Otay? Don't make a sound. Don't tell anyone. Don't say no. This is your fault. You made this happen. You were a bad girl." She repeats what she is told almost robotically.**

 **Jackson smiles menacingly.**

 **"** **Say 'This is my fault. I was a bad girl. I made this happen. Mommy and Daddy will be mad if I tell. This is all my fault." Maddie continues as her dad moves to the floor. He removes the blanket from Rosaline's tiny body.**

 **"** **Be a good girl, Rosie, and do as you're told." He says in a frightening voice. He removes the little girl's sleep shorts.**

 **"** **W-What a-a-are you d-d-doin'? Rosaline asks, scared to death.**

 **"** **Be a good girl, Rosie," He repeats as he removes the preschooler's underwear. "I have been waiting forever to do this." He starts to move his hand toward Rosaline's privates.**

 **"** **Say it, Rosaline." He tells her. Rosie looks to her cousin for help, but she only finds true fear in little Maddie's eyes.**

 **"** **Say it, Wosie." She tells her. "Be a good girl and you won't get hurt."**

 **Maddie glances back at her uncle. He now has his own sleep shorts off. He takes off his boxers and grabs Rosaline's hand before she can pull it back.**

 **He places it on himself. Then he touches her. He tells her to say it.**

 **"** **D-dis i-is my f-f-fawlt," She stutters. "I w-want d-dis. I w-was a b-bad girl. M-mommy a-and d-d-daddy will be mad at me." She starts crying and trying to take her hand back, but Jackson won't let her.**

 **"** **Never tell anyone about this, Rosie." He says as he hurts his niece. "No one will believe you because you are a liar. If you tell your mommy or daddy they'll be very, very mad at you. They'll say you asked for it and it is all. you. fault." He continues to touch her as he forces her to touch him**

 **Rosaline continues to cry. She has no idea why her uncle is doing this. Why he is being so mean to her or why he said she is a liar.**

 **She wishes her mommy was here to save her.**

 **But, then again, her mommy would be mad at her if she ever found out.**

 **After a few more minutes, Jackson gets dressed and Rosaline puts her underwear and shorts back on.**

 **"** **Don't tell anyone; it's a secret." Are his final parting words as he leaves the room. He doesn't hurt Madeline this time; it would be too risky to do two at a time this early on.**

 **Maddie climbs down into the floor and wraps her arms around Rosaline. She holds her cousin in a protective grip for the rest for the rest of the night and the two little preschoolers cry themselves to sleep that night.**

* * *

 **So, if you were able to get through this, please tell me what you thought! Did it surprise you that Jackson started with Rosie and Maddie? Do you think he is still hurting them in the future?**

 **Please remember that this is the early 80s! I have no idea what the grounds for molestation back then was.**

 **Also, please don't ask when I am going to turn him in! I promise I will do it, but it's not going to be for a while! I'll get a lot more background on it, and I am going to have something happen in the future.**

 **Up next:** ** _Day at the Pool_** **– the Jareau and Scott kids plus Emily spend the day at the pool.**


	9. IMPORTANT: Author's Note

Hey guys! I'm sorry for those who thought this was a new chapter. I just wanted to get some things out of the way concerning Jackson, Jenny, and Emily, and whether or not I am going to have Jackson go to jail anytime soon.

Also! I want to say thank you to all my amazing reviewers, favoriters, and followers! 25 reviews for only 7 chapters? That is amazing and thank you all so, so much! Next, I am going to address the issues with Jen and Jackson. Most of this I have already said to Hippiechic81, but I wanted to let you all know as well. So, here goes:

1\. This is the early-80s. I'm not sure what the grounds for molestation between family members were. Did the police investigate? Would the parents try to cover it up and not get the police involved? How were the child/children, person, or accuser dealt with when the accusations were made?

That is all I am trying to figure out. I was only born in '97 and I have never had to deal with these types of situations, personal or otherwise, so I don't know how it would be settled or how it would happen.

2\. All of you want me to have Emily tell Sandy, or Michael, or the police, or someone else about her concerns. But the only thing that she genuinely suspects is that Jackson has an out-of-control temper, and so far, what she's seen supports that thought. Emily is only twelve years old, Jenny hasn't said anything, and she's never had to go through something like this.

If I try to have Emily tell Sandy and Michael this early on that she suspects something is going on, then it would more than likely backfire because she has only known the Jareau family for about two months (and has only met Jackson about three times).

It would feel as if she is trying to come into what seems like a perfect family and ruin everything and that would definitely do more harm than good, not only to Jen but to Emily as well. Sandy and Michael would then see Emily as a bad influence and not allow her to see Jen or Rosaline anymore.

3\. Jenny is only four years old and has been told 'it's a secret; don't tell', or 'mommy and daddy will be mad at you', 'this is your fault', 'you wanted this', 'you lied about this', etc., etc. She's been groomed and made to believe nothing good will ever come of telling, only punishment and possibly being taken away from her mom and dad.

As for Maddie and Ros, well, they may be 10 y/o now, but for seven years, it went on nearly every day (and it was every day for Madeline. Jackson can't contain himself with her and hurts her nearly once a night/7 nights a week) and they were told the same thing as Jen. Problem is, they have been told it for 6 years longer than Jennifer, so however much Jen believes no good will come with telling, Ros & Maddie believe it 110% more.

For Emily, she is going to be documenting everything she sees. She'll write down what happened, what was said, etc. As she gets older and realizes these things aren't going away, then that is when she will try to do something about it. But she'll still be cautious. Emily is a smart girl. She just has to realize there is an actual problem way beyond Jack's anger before she tries to do anything about it.

4\. I promise that I will have Jenny having lots of funs with Emily. She'll go to the beach, go camping in the summer, go skiing in the wintertime, and have sleepovers. She will get to be a kid that isn't being hurt. She'll get to play soccer with her sister and cousins. As long as Emily is with her, she will do her best to protect Jenny from Jackson's "temper".

For every 'bad' chapter I have where Jackson is hurting Jenny or her sister and cousin, I'll have three more fluffy, kid stuff, to make up for the chapters where they do get hurt.

I am trying to get this to be as realistic as possible to real life and, in order to do that, I have to have it go on for a long period of time. I hope all of you can understand now why I am not going to put Jackson in jail anytime soon.

Also, please give me prompts! I had one reviewer request a day at the pool and that's the next chapter. The next one is also going to be two parts before moving on to another with Jackson hurting two of the little kids.


	10. Day at the Pool

_**Day at the Pool**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Prompts: Pool day for** ** _102000QP_** **and a 'first argument' between Jenny and Emily, for** ** _Kensi1997_** **.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. I do own all the characters not associated with the show.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: K+.**

 ** _Bold and italic_** **are words in sign language.  
 _Bold, italic, and underline_ are words being spoken and in sign language.  
**

 **And with that said…**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 _ **August**_ _**1982  
Big kids: 9-12 years old  
Little kids: 2-5 years old**_

* * *

 ** _*Emily's house*_**

Today is Saturday. It's a particularly hot day, the temps in the high 80s, a perfect day for swimming. Emily has decided that instead of staying indoors and watching TV or even just playing outside on the farm, she and Benson are going to spend the weekend with Jenny and her cousins.

She promised JJ she could plan the whole entire day and night along with her cousins. She chose a day at the pool, lunch at McDonald's (maybe), and then home for some Scooby-Doo movies. Then James will grill hot dogs and hamburgers while JJ, her sister and cousins, and Emily run around catching "lightning bugs".

Right now, though, she is packing a bag for the day. She and her cousin, Benson and her friend, Evelyn are going to be looking out for Jenny, Rosie and their cousins at the pool for the day.

That's the first stop on their agenda. All the kids love to go to the community pool, and Emily decided it would be something to include everyone in.

Because Emily is only twelve and the kids are all under the age of 10, Benson, who is currently 16 and has a car, is going with them to help her watch over the girls, along with TJ, the Jareau kids' cousin.

They have been chosen as the designated "adults" for today, which means they will have the final say in choices and, to some degree, will deal with the discipline should the need for it arise.

Emily takes a step back and looks at her bag. She has everything they need, and her swimsuit on under her tank and shorts, so she carries the bag downstairs and walks over to the phone. She dials Benson's number and makes arraignments on how they are getting to the pool.

Emily heads over to the Jareaus', knocking and entering, before going to the kitchen where she finds Rosaline in her bathing suit and cover. JJ comes running down in a two-piece blue swimsuit.

"Emmy!" Jenny yells before slamming into Emily's legs almost causing the older girl to stumble in walking.

"Hey, _Babydoll_. Are you and sissy almost ready to go?" JJ nods and looks over at Sandy who is coming into the kitchen with a Hello Kitty backpack.

"Hello, Emily. I have everything you'll need for the girls and here is a bag to put it. If you would like, I can put them in or you could do it yourself."

"I can do it. Jenny can help, can't you, _Love?"_

" ** _Yep_**! Do'ih, ** _Emmy_**!" She half signs, half speaks. Emily helps her up onto the stool and holds the backpack open. This is JJ's diaper bag that is used since she is now four years old. Sandy has taken everything out of it and is going to let Emily use it as a travel bag for today.

"All right, _Love_. Hand me your **_clothes_** , **_please_**." Jenny hands her a folded set of shorts and a tank.

"Dis is **_blue_**." JJ signs the color when she hands Emily the tank top because it is easier to remember her colors in sign language. "An' dis is **_blue_** an' ** _white_**." The tank top and shorts fit easily into the backpack as they are very tiny, which just goes to show how small JJ really is for her age.

" ** _Yes_** , that's right. Your **_shirt_** is **_blue_** and your **_shorts_** are _**blue**_ and **_white_**." Emily says and signs back, showing that she got the colors correct and also showing her the signs for 'shorts' and 'shirt'.

"Now, can you hand me sissy's clothes?" JJ hands them to her and she puts them in. "Okay and now the water and sunscreen." Once Emily has everything packed, she turns to Rosaline, to see if the young girl has anything that she wants to add to the bag.

"Rosie, do you need to add anything besides your clothes to this bag?" Rosaline nods and hands Emily her goggles, snorkel, and earplugs. Sandy comes in then, with a Wal-Mart sack.

"This has JJ's arm floaties and ring floatie in it. It also has Rosaline's diving toys. Please, _please_ , make sure JJ wears them when she is anywhere away from the shallow end of the pool."

"Don't worry, Sandy, all of my little cousins wear these, and I have watched them dozens of times. I'm even an expert at blowing them up. I will make sure Jenny has them on at all times, shallow end or not, along with sunscreen." Just then, there's a honk from outside, along with about five kids running into the kitchen, all decked out in different colored bathing suits.

"Oh! That's Ben. He is here to pick us up. He'll need to know what kids are riding with us and who is riding with TJ." Sandy nods, and with a quick goodbye and a reminder for them to be good, the girls go outside.

Once all the kids are lined up outside, with TJ and Benny as the drivers, it is time to settle who is going with who. JJ's cousins, Rosaline, Evelyn (from school), and Emily are all going (plus the big kids). That is eleven kids in total.

They divide and conquer, and then head to the pool.

* * *

 ** _*At the community pool. JJ's point of view*_**

After what seems like a million years in the car, Benny pulls up to the swimming pool. I am so excited to go swimming with Emmy and my cousins. Benny stops the car and Emily tells Evie and Rosie to help me and Eliza undo our car seats.

I can do my own; I know how. But Emmy doesn't like me to. She says I hafta wait. Evie undoes the thing called a bu-ck-le, buckle on my seat, then Rosie helps Eliza.

After a really, really long time, Emmy and Benny take me and sissy, Mags, Eliza, and Evie inside. She says we have to put sunscreen on. Then I watch Benny blow up our fl-oa-ties. He is being silly.

"Benny, yous see-wee!" I giggle as Benny pre-ten-ds, pretends to be out of breath from blowing up the ring and arm floaties. Emmy helps me put on my arm fl-oa-ties. They are pink which is my favorite color. Guess what…red plus white equals pink! Emmy teached me that.

" ** _Emmy_** , **_come too_**?" I ask as I hold onto her hand very, very tightly. TJ is with Lee-Lee and Nattie by the steps. They tooked swi-mm-ing, swimming lessons and now they can swim! Benny is with Eliza and Mags. They are in the deep with Maddie and sissy. I'm not going in the deep end 'cause it looks scary.

"Sure, _Bug_. EJ and I will get into the shallow end with you, okay? Come on." Emmy takes me to the thing that has steps on it. I remember this; Daddy says it is called a lu-ad-der, a ladder.

" ** _Emmy_** , no," I whine and I give Emmy a big hug, wrapping my arms and legs around her.

JJ, what's the matter?" Evie asks. "Emmy just wants to put you in the floatie. See?" She points to the one around her own waist. It's pink, her favorite color, and mine is blue. "You'll be just like me!" She smiles at me and I smile back.

"Lie Evie?" I ask. Well, that does sound like fun. So I nod and let Emmy put me in the floatie. "Ooo… dis is burrr." I make a cold sound 'cause the water is not hot.

"Yeah, it is a little chilly." Emmy agrees as she pulls me away from the lu-ad-der, the ladder. This is fun!

" ** _Faster, Emmy_**!" I say and she spins me 'round and 'round and 'round in circles. Then she stops. She points to where the tables are. "Look, Jen. There are some of your friends, Ashley, Davie, and Zach"

" ** _Yay_**! I wanna see dem!" I say, and Emmy smiles because I used 'I' instead of 'me'. Emmy teached me these things she calls 'I Statements'. She maked up a game and we said things like. 'I would like a glass of milk, please.' or 'I want to go to the park'. and 'I liked lunch, Mommy.' This one made mommy very proud of me and it was really fun too!

"Okay, well, when they get their sunscreen on, you can go ask if they want to come play with you. Deal?" Emmy says and I smile.

"'Pin me, Emmy!" I say. Then I add, "P'ease!" Cause Emmy is always sayin' to use my manners.

"Thank you for being polite, _Bug_." Emmy makes me smile. "Are you ready?" I nod really fast and Emily starts spinnin' me 'round.

* * *

 ** _*On the other side of the pool. W/Ben, Eliza, & Mags*_**

Over in the deep end with Benny, the twins, Maddie and Rosaline, everyone is playing a game of Marco/Polo. Right now, Rosie is it and the ten-year-old is moving alongside the edge of the pool for guidance.

"Marco!" She yells out and is bombarded with different sounding, "Polo!"

"Marco!"

"Polo!" This time it's Margaret from across the water. And then, "Polo!" from Maddie.

"Marco! Where are you guys? This isn't fair; you're supposed to let me get you at least once. It's the rules."

"No, we aren't!" Maddie yells back. "You just suck at this game."

"Hey, now!" Benson cuts in. "No one sucks. Everyone plays at their own pace. Now, if Rosie can't get anyone if the next couple of minutes, I'll let you get me. Deal?"

"Thanks, Benny," Rosie smiles at him, and he winks back. Rosie closed her eyes again, yelling out, "Marco!"

"You can't get me, Rosie!" Elizabeth yells as she ducks under the water, pushes off the wall with her feet and swims to the other side of the pool. The past two summers, Caleb and Maria have signed Elizabeth and her sister up for summertime swim lessons, and now the two are like fish in the water.

She pulls out of the water just as Benny is grabbing her. "I got you!" He says, before tickling Elizabeth, making the little girl squirm and giggle.

"Ben! You're not it! Rosie is the Marco, silly!" Ben pretends that he just now remembered that. He hits his forehead lightly.

"Oh! Silly me! That's right. Well, you better swim away, because I think Rosie is gonna get you!" He yells the last couple of words as Rosaline tackles Ben before yelling,

"I got you! Benny is Marco now! _Run_!" She squeals and swims away before Benson can retaliate the tackle.

"I'm gonna get you, Rosaline!" He yells and ducks under the water. The girls squeal and scatter in different directions. For the next few minutes, the kids go back and forth, yelling 'Marco!' and 'Polo!"

"Mar-co..." Benny sing-songs as he turns in a circle. He listens to the noises around him, keeping his eyes closed. Finally, Benson is able to sneak up behind Mags and grab her.

"Caught you!" He shouts, holding the giggling girl up in the air. "Maggie's 'Marco'! Run!"

"You can't get me, sissy!" Eliza yells at her sister. "You're too slow!"

"No, I'm not!" Margaret yells back. She ducks under the water towards Elizabeth, causing the other 5-year-old to shriek and try to swim away.

* * *

 ** _*Over with TJ, Leslie, and Natalie*_**

"T-Jay!" Leslie squeals as she throws her arms in the air. The soon to be three-year-old giggles as her cousin grabs her up and spins her around in the water. She and her sister, Nat, are decked out in pink arm floaties and both have a yellow 'duck' ring floatie. They have matching blue bathing suits on.

"It's a bird, it's a plane. No, it's Super Leslie!" He spins her around, listening to her childlike giggles. Nat slaps the water with her hands, laughing also.

"Me, me, T-Jay! Me!"

"You wanna go too?"

"Yes, p'ease!" TJ sits Leslie back in her floatie and picks Natalie up. He spins her around also.

"Yay!" She squeals. "Faster, T-Jay, faster! Go faster!" She giggles some more. "Say it!"

"It's a bird, it's a plane. No! It's Super Natalie! She's leaping and she's soaring. She's coming to the rescue!" He continues to spin her around.

The girls giggle and clap. "Me, me! Do me, T-Jay!" Leslie says, laughing and holding her hands up. "Yeah! Me too!" Natalie chimes in. After taking turns a few more times, he bends down until only his head is out.

"Dun, dun…dun, dun…dun, dun. Dun, dun, dun, dun…dun, dun, dun, dun…" TJ starts, speeding up as he gets closer. "dun, dun, dun, dun, dun… I'm a big bad shark, and I'm here to get me some lunch." He comes closer to the girls with his hands in 'claw' positions.

"I'm gonna eat Natalie's piggies first!" He says, grabbing hold of Natalie's toes and pretending to eat them.

"No, T-Jay!" Natalie squeals. "No!"

"I'm gonna get Leslie now! Nom, nom, nom." The girls squeal, and giggle and scream as they have a good time with their cousin.

* * *

 ** _*Back with Jen, Evelyn, and Emily. Normal P.O.V.*_**

After they get the necessary things, Ashley, Davie and Zach, and Parker and Graham, who had just arrived, all pile into the pool and swim over to Emily.

"Hi, Em!" Ashley says as she swims over. "Let's play!"

"Alright, what do you want to play?"

"Wace!" Zach grins. "Let's play wace!"

"Okay. And how are we going to do that?" Emily inquires, deciding to let the little kids take lead.

"Um…we can line up on the side," Graham begins. Emily nods for him to go on. "And then, we can um…I can push Parker and you can push JJ and um…" He trails off and turns to Evelyn.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Evelyn, but you can call me Eva," Evelyn answers. "What is your name?"

"My name is Graham Matthew Tylerson and I am five years old," He announces proudly. "How many are you?"

"Well, my name is Evelyn Grace Thomas and I am 8 years old."

"Okay. Well, um…you can push Ashley and I'll push Parker and Em can push JJ!"

"Hey! What 'bout me?" Davie says, frowning.

"Well, you can be our cheering section, how's that? And you can tell us when to go, okay?"

"Okay! Line up!" Emily pulls Ashley and JJ over to the side of the pool with Evelyn following. They all line up.

"Em, how do we do this?" Evelyn asks.

"Well, me, you, and Graham are going to push Jen, Ashley, and Parker. They will kick their feet and help us move them. Then, the first one to the rope wins."

"Okay, David. Tell us when to go. Remember, count to three first."

"Oh! That's easy!" David smiles proudly. He knows all his numbers up to 50 and can even count to ten in Spanish, five in French and he knows a few in Chinese even. His parents are so proud, as is his grandma and teacher.

"Yeah. Are you guys ready?"

"Okay, Emily. 1…2…3…go!" The bigger kids start pushing the little ones who are kicking and giggling.

"Go fas'er, Emmy!" JJ giggles. "Go fas'er!"

"Kick harder and I can. Kick, Jenny, kick!" The kids laugh and squeal as they race towards the rope separating the shallow and deep ends. Graham and Parker get there first, and Graham jumps up and down cheering.

"Yay! We won! Em, did you see? Me and Park won!"

"I saw that, Gray! You did good."

"Yay, bubba!" Parker grins. "You wined, Gray!"

"Yay for Graham!" David cheers, jumping up and down. "Graham is the winner and he gets 999 billion dollars!"

"Em! Let's play Marco/Polo!" Graham says. "You're it and you hafta close your eyes."

"Okay. Evie, you, Tay, and Mel (friends from school) are going to have to help the little kids by pulling their floaties. That way, the game is fair. Just remember to," She lowers her voice "…Shhh…be quiet and not make a lot of noise."

"Are you guys ready?" The kids cheer and all nod.

JJ taps Emily on the arm and then signs, " ** _Emmy, me too_** ," while holding her arms out for Emily to take her and let her be 'Marco' with her.

" _Bug_ , I'm going to do 'Marco' alone this time. Evie can help you hide. Okay?"

" ** _No_** , **_Emmy,"_** Jen whines, pouting impressively as she crosses her arms, before clasping on to Emily's arm. "Me wanna go wih 'ooh." She says, her words beginning to get messed up.

"You'll be okay, _Love_." Emily pulls her arm out of Jenny's hands and kisses her forehead. "Go hide with Evie." She says, grinning at the preschooler.

"Go!" She shoos the group of preschool and preteens away. "Go on!" She closes her eyes and backs away. "Marco!" She calls out.

"Come on, Jenny!" Evie grins. "Say, 'Polo!'"

"'olo!" She calls out.

"Polo!" Taylor and Melissa call out, followed by, "Polo!" from the little boys.

"Marco!" Emily yells out again, making her way through the water. "Marco!"

"Polo!" Eva.

"Polo!" Mel shouts.

"Polo!" Zach and Davie both yell, giggling as they move away from Emily. Evie pulls on Jenny's floatie, both girls laughing. "Say, 'polo!', Jenny!" Evie tells her.

"'olo!" She shouts and then says, "Fas'er, Evie, fas'er!"

"I'm going as fast I can. But, shhh…be quiet. You can't let Emmy know where we are."

"Oh," Jen giggles, putting a finger to her lips. "Shhhh…Evie" She whispers.

"Marco!" Emily yells and she listens to the giggling of the little kids. "I can hear you guys. You have to be quiet, remember?"

After a few more minutes of playing in the water, the kids tire out and start complaining about being hungry.

"Emmy, I hun-gee," JJ says and Emily nods.

"Okay, _Bug_. Let's go tell Benny and see if he'll go get us some lunch. We'll take a vote on where we will eat."

"Wah Me'o'all, dough," JJ tells her, messing up on the word "McDonald's", however, Emily is one of only three people who can understand that word and so she knows exactly what JJ is asking for. _I want McDonald's, though._

Emily glances back from looking around the pool for Ben and TJ.

"I know that," She says to the preschooler. "But we will have to ask the others what they, too." Emily leads the kids out of the pool, the others going to their parents to gets snacks and juice boxes, while Evie goes to the bathroom. She helps the preschooler out of her arm floaties and then out of her ring floatie.

"Aw, buh **_why_**?" Jenny asks, not quite having a whiney tone, but just being curious.

"Because some of us don't like going there. Benny does not like going there and neither do I really. So, we are going to ask. Okay?" Emily walks over to the table, the preschooler stomping behind her. She can see a tantrum coming on pretty quickly and tries to diffuse it.

She takes out a grape juice box, JJ's favorite, and some apple slices. "Look here, _Bug_. **_Grape juice_** and **_apple slices_** , your **_favorite_**. Why don't you come sit in the shade and have a **_snack_**? When everyone gets over here, we'll take a vote for **_lunch_**."

Jenny takes the juice box and apple slices. "But I wanna go t'McDo'alds." She repeats. Her voice now has just the tiniest hint of whine to it. "'Ooh sayed I gotta t'pih, 'member? An' I pih Me'o'all." _You said I get to pick, remember? And I pick McDonald's._

Emily shakes her head at that. "No, what I said was, 'We _may_ get to go to McDonald's for lunch.'"

"Nuh-uh!" JJ says back.

"Yes, I did."

"Nuh-uh!"

 _"Yes,_ I did."

 _"_ Nuh- _uh!"_

"I did– " Emily cuts herself off and sighs. She can't believe she is _actually_ arguing with a four-year-old over this.

"Jen, I am not going to argue with you about this. We are going to ask everyone. Now, come over here so we can dry off. We need to sit in the shade for a little bit."

It's quiet for a few seconds, almost as if JJ is contemplating her response. And then…

"No. I doh wuhuh." The little girl says with a bit of attitude in her voice and Emily raises an eyebrow.

"What did you say?" Emily asks, thinking she heard wrong. And now, she is being sassed by said four-year-old?

"I doh wanna ass. I geh t'whoose an' me wah McDo'alds." Jen says, more defiantly and with a definite attitude. She crosses her arms and stands straight, in front of Emily. Yep, there's the sass. _I don't wanna ask. I get to choose and me want McDonald's._

"Jen, I know you love to go to McDonald's, but not everyone likes to eat there. There are big kids here, your sissy and bubby, TJ and Ben, who don't like to eat there. That is why we are going to ask everyone and see what they want. Okay?" Emily explains gently.

But obviously, gentle is not what the preschooler needs. She drops her hands from their folded position, letting them rest on her hips, and stomps her foot again, putting on her 'mad' face.

"No! Me wah Me'o'alls! Me no air 'bow n'one else!" Jenny yells, stomping her foot, yet again, and causing a few other parents to look over at them. _No! Me want McDonald's. Me don't care about no one else!_

Emily notices JJ dropped the use of 'I' and went back to 'me'. Whether it's intentional and for attention or not, Emily doesn't know. But she has bigger issues right now.

"Jennifer, I do not like that you are yelling at me," Emily tells her, putting an authoritative tone to her voice, waving off TJ who was going to come over. She knows he is the designated "grown-up" for today, but wants to give it a try first.

"I need you to use your nice voice. I know we are outside, but you still can't yell at me, okay? Now, I am letting you pick everything we do today. You picked coming to the pool, and you are choosing to watch a movie and have my daddy grill tonight. But, we are going to get everyone's vote on where we are going to eat, and that is final."

"No, Emmy!"

"Jennifer Anne, if you do not stop yelling and use a softer voice with me, you are going to timeout. Do you understand?" Emily tells her, not liking that she has to be the bad guy in this situation, but seeing it is obviously needed.

"No! 'Ooh'uh me-e heh an'-an'…Me doh lie 'ooh n'mowe!" Jenny yells, her words even more messed up and even Emily is having a hard time understanding them. This time, JJ also adds a kick to the chair beside them, and Emily sighs and nods to TJ who walks over to them. _No! You're a meanie head and-and…Me don't like you no more!_

"Well, that escalated quickly," She hears Benson say before he heads to the boys' bathroom to get dried off and change into some clothes. She catches his eye as he passes and he gives a squeeze to her shoulder, knowing she _really_ hates being the bad guy.

"All right, little one," TJ says. "Time-out it is." He places her in the chair that she kicked.

JJ jumps up though and tries to kick TJ who catches her and places her back in the seat.

"Now, Jennifer, you are in time out because you yelled at Emily, even when she asked you not too, and because you were arguing with her." He explains to the pouting blonde. "You need to sit there for 4 minutes, and think about how you can use your big girl words next time." He stands, and when JJ goes to get up, he stops her.

"I am setting my timer for four minutes. If you get up before those four minutes are over with, you will have to sit back down, until they _are_ finished. Do you understand?" JJ pulls out all the stops, though, and places her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut.

TJ sighs. "Jennifer Anne Jareau," He begins, also pulling out all the stops. "If you do not answer me, we will leave, go home, and you can sit in timeout at your house with your mommy and daddy. Is that what you want?"

Emily watches as the preschooler seems to be weighing her options until she opens her eyes, removes her hands, and looks up at TJ, (but not without a glare that is very impressive for a 4-year-old).

"Yes, _sir_." She says, adding emphases in the 'sir'. She then crosses her arms and glances away at the other kids.

TJ glances at Emily and notices her upset look.

"Look, Em, don't take it personally. She hardly ever gets told no – mostly because she is the baby in the family, except for Natalie and Leslie– and because of that, when she _is_ told no, it doesn't go over very well. She usually doesn't take it _this_ bad, but I think she was showing out because it was you telling her no – which you never just outright do – and because we are in public, and she thinks she can get away with it."

"Besides," He sighs. "You know what they say: the first fight is always the worst. Maybe next time it won't be this bad."

By the time JJ's four minutes are up, the kids have gathered around and are beginning to decide where they want TJ to go and get their lunch.

They have it narrowed down to _Burger Chef_ , _Taco Bell_ , and of course, _McDonald's_. Those are really the only restaurants that TJ knows of that are close by, otherwise, he would have to drive a good 20 minutes to a restaurant.

He turns to the still sulled-up preschooler and says, "JJ, are you ready to join us, and help us decide where we are eating?"

The little blonde sighs and jumps up. She goes over to Emily, who has since moved a little way down after helping wrap the youngest twins in a towel and looks at her.

"Hey, _Bug_. Are you ready to use your nice voice and big girl words now?" Emily asks. The preschooler just sighs and moves closer. She shrugs and nods a little bit. Then she raises her arms, asking to be picked up. Emily picks her up and sits her on her lap. JJ leans her head against Emily's shoulder.

" ** _Sorry_** , **_Emmy_**." The little girl signs and Emily smiles at her being able to express herself.

"I accept your apology. Thank you for saying sorry, _Love_ ," She brushes the little girl's semi-dry hair back and kisses the top of her head. "But, it made me a little sad. So, next time you need to try and use your big girl words and your nice voice. Is that a deal?"

JJ nods. " ** _O.K._** , **_Emmy_**."

"Good girl. Thank you, _Love_." After watching the exchange between his younger cousin and her best friend, TJ claps his hands and gets to work on where they are going for lunch.

"Okay, well, let's take a vote and see where we are going to eat lunch at." TJ looks at the piece of paper. We have _Burger Chef_ , _Taco Bell_ , and _McDonald's_. I am going to go around and when I say your name, I want you to tell me which place you want to eat at. Does everyone understand?" Everybody nods.

"Okay, first are Emily and JJ. Where do you want to go?" Emily replies with _Taco Bel_ l and asks JJ what she wants in sign language. The little girl replies with "restaurant" and "M" meaning she wants, of course, _McDonald's_.

TJ makes the marks. "Next is Eliza and Margaret."

Eliza and Margaret whisper to each other for a couple of seconds and then turn back to TJ. " _Burger Chef_!" They shout simultaneously. "We _loo-ove_ their burgers! They're really yummy!" Mags adds.

Next are Leslie and Natalie, "Where do you two want to go?" TJ asks gently. " _McDonald's_ or _Taco_ _Bell_?" Neither of them likes _Burger Chef_ , so he doesn't even bother giving them that option. And, of course, they say, " _McDonald's_!"

TJ makes the mark and does one beside _Burger Chef_ for himself. He goes on to the older kids, Evelyn, Rosaline, and Madeline. They choose _Burger_ _Chef_ and _Taco_ _Bell_. TJ hands Benson the piece of paper and lets him do his own mark. He chooses _Taco Bell_.

"Well, let's see here, _Burger Chef_ has 5 marks, _Taco Bell_ has 3 and _McDonalds_ 3\. That means we are going to…" He pauses for dramatic effect. " _Burger Chef_."

There's a simultaneous sound of 'yays' and 'awes!', especially from the youngest girls.

"Alright, I am going to go out and get the food, and we are going to take it home. I think it's almost the little kids' naptime, and I know Leslie and Natalie are getting extra tired from all the playing. Now, I want the big girls to go with the little kids and help them change. Then, everyone who rode with me, go to the van and wait."

With the help, everyone gets dried off and changed in half the time. They all load up, but this time, Leslie and Natalie are put in Benson's car, with Eliza moving to TJ's. Eva and JJ ride in the back, the twins are put in the middle and Emily in the front.

This leaves Rosaline, who moves to TJ's car with Maddie. They claim the very back which insinuates a fight with the twins, but eventually, everything is put to rest after TJ threatens to drop Eliza and her sister off at their house.

"But they always get the back!" Margaret tried to argue. "Yeah!" Eliza chimes in. "Tell'em it's not fair, TJ!"

TJ turns around from the front and gives them 'the look'. "One more word and you're all three going home. Understand? That's my final warning." The girls just huff and sit back.

TJ rolls down his window so he can talk to Benson. After a few moments, TJ has everyone's orders, and Benson has instruction to drop the youngest set of twins at home for their nap.

The two boys both pull out and head home. It only takes about 10 minutes to get home due to the light traffic, but still, when they arrive at the Jareaus' house, Benson honks the horn so Amber and Jackson can help them get the twins' unbuckled.

Soon, they are back at Emily's house and the kids all get out, each of them worn out from their day of play.

Emily has everyone lay down for their naps after setting up air mattresses and getting extra blankets for the guest room. When TJ arrives back home, he sends the youngest upstairs and he, Maddie, Emily and Rosaline set up a movie to watch while they take their nap. The food eventually becomes a late lunch.

* * *

 **Fluffy chapter. What did you think? Please review! Can I get 5 reviews for the next chapter?**

 **Just a little bit of a note, Rosaline's name is pronounced as** ** _Rose-uh-lynn_** **. Madeline's name is** ** _Mad-uh-line_** **. :)**


	11. Family Movie Night

_**Family Movie Night (Day at the Pool, cont.)**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Extra kids are Emily's extended family. Names with an asterisk (*) are adopted kids.**

 **Joseph and Terry Clarence-Prentiss. James' brother and sister-in-law. They have 1 child.**

 **Damien Robert: 6 years old.**

 **Jon and Eloise Keller. Elizabeth's sister and brother-in-law. They have 3 kids; 1 bio, 2 adopted.**

 **Ashtyn: 6 years old.  
*Lyndsey: 6 years old. -twin.  
*Hannah: 6 years old. -twin.**

 _ **Bold, italic, underlined **_**are** **words in sign language and being spoken.  
** _ **Bold and italic**_ **are words in sign language.**

 **Notes: Bonus points if you can tell me what episode of Scooby-Doo I am describing below! ;)**

* * *

 ** _*Later that afternoon. Around 4:30 p.m.*_**

That afternoon, James sets up the grill for dinner that. Jenny, Emily, and the others are currently in the den, watching a movie. The movie won't be too long, just a VCR tape of Scooby-Doo with about four episodes on it. By the time James gets the hamburgers made, the hot dogs laid out and all the condiments, buns, plates, etc. put out, then the video will be over with.

The kids will then spend the time James is cooking outside catching fireflies.

"Emmy, **_look_**!" He hears Jenny squeal from the living room. " ** _Shaggy is silly_**!" He imagines the little girl is using sign language since he didn't hear what she said after she squealed "Emmy!"

James has noticed that JJ has a lot of trouble with her speech. He wonders if he should bring up the subject with Michael and Sandy at JJ's next doctor's appointment or, since that is a while away, if he should bring it up more as "James Prentiss" than as "Dr. Prentiss". He knows JJ picks up very quickly on sign language, so he knows that she will be able to communicate with that when she can't with words.

He decides not to worry about it and instead will wait to see if Michael, Sandy, or even Emily, says anything about it.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth agrees. "He's _alllwaays_ scared of stuff and Scooby is always jumpin' in his arms!"

"He's just a big fraidy cat," Emily tells them, grinning. The kids watch as Shaggy is on a little boat making a sandwich. Freddie is driving and Daphne and Velma are talking to each. Scooby steals Shaggy's sandwich and the kids all giggle.

"Scooby is so silly!" Margaret says. "He's always stealin' Shaggy's sandwiches and pizzas." They watch for a couple more minutes, and then,

"Oh, no! Look! A storm!" Maddie points to the TV, playing it up for the younger kids. "And look! They crashed onto an island. I wonder what's going to happen?"

"Oh! I know!" Elizabeth says. "There's probably gonna be a ghost or a monster, and Scooby is gonna get scared and jump into Shaggy's arms!"

They all watch as Scooby finds something, a piece of a map maybe and runs back to the gang. He skids to a stop, covering everyone with sand.

" ** _Silly_** , **_Scooby_**!" Jenny giggles. Freddie takes the paper and reads it. The gang decides to go check out the castle.

"Oh! Scooby and Shaggy are going to be scared!" Rosaline says, also playing it up for the younger kids.

"Scooby and Shaggy are silly!" Margo says.

The gang goes into the castle. After a while, they find a key. And Freddie makes a plan to catch the "ghost".

"Oh, I hope this plan works," Elijah says. "I would hate for the ghost to keep scaring people away from that big 'ole castle, wouldn't you, Jenny?" He tickles his baby sister's stomach, making her giggle.

"Yeah! Dab ghost!" Jenny wages her finger at the screen with her 'mad' face on.

The kids watch the rest of the episodes, and the others, laughing and giggling at Scooby and Shaggy, and how silly they are.

* * *

 ** _*Around 5:30 p.m.*_**

Halfway through the movie, James realizes he not only needs more hamburger meat, as a couple of his brothers, sister-in-laws, and nieces and nephews are coming over, but it also too light out for the fireflies.

He heads to the living room where he finds the kids all gathered around the coffee table. Emily has her binder out, the one with her sign language cards in it, and open on the table.

"Hey, honey, I am going to run down to the supermarket before it closes and grab some more food. Uncle Joey and Aunt Terry, and Uncle Jon and Aunt Eloise are bringing the kids by for dinner."

Emily nods. "Okay."

"Will you and Ben go upstairs and make sure the bedrooms are ready? You need to make sure the guest rooms' beds are made and that the bathrooms have towels and soap in them, and then you can make sure the room with bunk beds down in the basement is ready."

"Okay, Dad. Come on, Ben; let's go get the rooms ready. TJ, will you watch the kids?"

"Sure, Em. I bet I can teach them some sign language while you and Benson are getting ready for your company."

"Okay, thanks." Emily stands up, going to Benson and flicking his ear.

"Hey! What was that for?" He grumbles.

"I told you to come on. You know how Uncle Jon is if we don't have everything ready." Benson jumps up and follows Emily.

"We can do girls vs. boys, you know, minimize how many rooms are used," Benson suggests as they leave the living and wind through the kitchen and dining room to the staircase.

"Yeah, we can probably do that. But, we'll need to do older girls vs. younger girls, and older boys vs. younger boys, so the teenagers don't have to stay with the little kids." The two come across a room and they begin getting situated.

* * *

After about 10 minutes of getting the rooms situated and making sure the beds and bathrooms have fresh linen, Emily and Ben head back downstairs.

"Emmy!" Jenny squeals. Emily sits down beside her and pulls the preschooler into her lap.

"Let's see how many signs I can teach you before our guests get here," Emily says. She looks around at the group of kids. Jenny in her lap, the twins on either side of her, Rosaline and Maddie are sharing the Lay-Z-Boy recliner, and TJ, Eli, and Ben are on the couch.

"Ben, you can teach Maddie and Rosa if they want to learn. I'll teach the twins, Eva and Jenny." The girls gather around Emily and she decides to start with the easiest: baby sign language.

After the groups split up, Emily begins with the basic signs: family.

"Okay, guys. Listen closely. I am going to do a sign, then I will tell you what it is, then I will do it again." Emily holds up a hand, with all five fingers out, and taps her chin with her thumb. She does this twice before saying, " ** _Mommy_**. This is the sign for **_Mommy_**."

"Now, I want everyone to try. Hold up a hand, then tap your chin with your thumb." Emily demonstrates again, this time with Jenny joining in. The preschooler eagerly shows that she knows it, adding in an enthusiastic,

" ** _Muh-me_**!"

"Good job, _Love_. Now, I want to see everyone try this sign." Emily watches as the twins and Eva copy her. "Good job, guys. That's correct. Now, let's move on to **_Daddy_**." Emily once again holds her hand up and then taps her forehead. "This is the sign for Daddy." Emily does it a couple times before she has the others do it.

"Next is Sister." Emily shows the sign and the twins and Eva do it. Then she moves on to brother.

"Now, are the signs for **_Aunt_ ** and **_Uncle_**."

"I want everyone to make a fist, just like this." Emily starts out. _She makes a fist, with her thumb laying flat on top._

"Now, make a small circle close to your cheek. But, do not touch your cheek; just bring th fist close to it… ** _Aunt_**. This is the sign for **_Aunt_**." Emily repeats the process, only doing Uncle instead of Aunt.

"Now, for the last of the signs, we are going to learn tonight. Grandmother. This is almost exactly like mommy. You make a hand, put your thumb to your chin and…Jen, do you want to show them?"

Jenny does the sign, thumb to chin, then she moves her thumb and hand away in one motion. " ** _Grandma_**!"

"Great job! Can everyone do that?" When they copy her, Emily praises them, only having to correct Eliza once. "Next is Grandpa. Eva, I've shown you how to do it already. How about you sign and show the Eliza and Maggie how to say, Grandpa?"

"Okay! First, you make a hand. Like this!" The eight-year-old eagerly shows her new friends. "Then, you take your thumb and put it on your forehead. Then, you make an 'M' in the air. Like this," She brings her hand away from her forehead, in the shape of an 'M'. " ** _Grandpa_** … ** _Grandpa_** … ** _Grandpa_**."

"Oh, that's easy!" Maggie says, copying the sign. Grandpa.

"Great job, everybody," Emily says. "Now you know the signs for mommy, daddy, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandma, and grandpa."

Everyone cheers. Emily decides to fill the remaining time with little quizzes and sentences, substituting the pronouns of family members with their signs.

* * *

 ** _*Later that night. Outside*_**

James calls them outside and tells them it is dark enough for the fireflies, and they have about half an hour before all the hot dogs and hamburgers are cooked, and the salads, dessert, etc. are made.

"Come on, _Love_. You wanna go catch some fireflies?" Emily asks the little preschooler.

"Yeah, yeah! **_Fireflies_**! Woo-hoo!" Emily smiles at the little's girl's enthusiasm and follows her outside.

The bigger kids all take a couple of the little kids. Emily with Jenny, Rosaline with Eliza, and Elijah with Margo. Maddie goes with Rosaline and Eliza.

"Come on, Maggie!" Elijah calls to his cousin. "Let's see who can catch the fireflies first."

"Okay, Eli! I'm gonna catch them before you do!" Margaret takes off through the Prentiss' large backyard. She jumps up in the air and cups her hands around something. Then she squeals in delight when she sees she actually caught a firefly.

"Eli, look! I caught one!" Maggie runs over to her big cousin, showing him her prize.

"Good job, Mar-Mar! Let's put it in the jar, okay?"

Emily cousins arrive during their hunt for lightning bugs. And after putting their bags away, the kids all race out to the giant backyard.

The kids that showed up are 6-year-old Damien Clarence-Prentiss with his parents, Emily and Benson's Uncle Joseph "Joey" and Aunt Teri.

6-year-old Ashtyn and her adopted, twin 6-year-old sisters, Hannah and Lyndsey Benson-Keller, (Benson often finds it funny one of his family member's last name is _his_ first name) come with their parents, Emily and Benson's Uncle Jon and Aunt Eloise.

Emily immediately notices her Uncle Jon among the adults. She goes over to her dad, where he is standing with her Uncle Joey.

"Dad, can I talk you?" She asks, coming over to the two brothers.

" ** _Hey_**! There's my favorite girl. ** _How are ya, Em_**?" Joey asks and she smiles. This is why Emily is teaching JJ sign language; because her family often uses it to communicate also.

" ** _I'm good_** , ** _Uncle Joey_** ," She turns to her dad. " ** _Dad_** , I need to **_know something_** , and it's **_very important_**."

James turns from the grill, taking in Emily's serious look. " ** _O.K._** ," He says, giving her his full attention. " ** _What is it_**?"

Emily sighs as she looks behind her. Jenny is surrounded by her cousins. People who love and care deeply for each other. Benson has Jenny on his shoulders and Emily knows, as far as her trust issues and everything goes, that for the little preschooler to allow him to do this, Ben had to show Jenny that he is very respectful of her personal space.

"I need to **_know_** what will be done with **_Uncle Jon_** if something happens, either with Jenny or one of the little kids. I don't know what's been going on lately, but she's gotten to where she hates to be surprised. She hates for someone to sneak up behind her and pick her up, she needs to be one step ahead, and she's not comfortable with strangers…like, at all."

She sighs, "Look, my point is, I need to know that something will be done if, just in case, Jenny does something. Like, spills her drink, or drops a couple of pieces of her food, and he decides to treat her like he did Alex that one time."

It's silent for a moment and then Joey cuts in before James has a chance too.

"I don't want you to worry one bit, Emily," Joey tells her, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes, so he knows she is listening. "I made it clear to Jon that there are going to be plenty of accidents that happen this evening, due to there being a lot of the kids who are under ten, and also with those older than ten." Emily nods.

"And that's all they are going to be: accidents. So I made it clear that he can just leave and go on home if he doesn't want to take a breath and calm himself down before losing his temper and wanting to punish the kids if something happens."

"If Jenny or any of the other **_kids_** , **_young or old_** , have an **_accident_** such as **_spilling a drink_** , or **_messing at the dinner table_** , he will not be the one that handles it. If it's an **_accident_** , then that's all it is. If not, then the **_appropriate consequences_** will be handed out." James nods in agreement, putting an arm around Emily.

Emily breathes a sigh a relief at that. She had at least two adults on her side and, more than likely, she'll have all of her older cousins, if not her younger ones as well, on her side.

She nods. "Okay. Thank you…seriously, I want this night to be one Jenny remembers. With school starting and mom dragging me to lunches on the weekends, I'm not sure how many "off" Saturdays and Sundays I'll have." She looks back just in time to see Ben coming over with Jenny on his shoulders and Damien skipping along beside him.

"Hey, Em." He gives a wave.

" ** _Hi, Emmy_**!" Jenny waves enthusiastically from atop his shoulders.

" ** _Hey, Love_**. You havin' fun up there?"

" ** _Yeah_**!"

Damien smiles then turns to Emily. " ** _Emmy_** , my **_daddy_** says there's **_still time before the sun goes down_**. Can you and Benny **_please, please, please_** take us to the **_field_** so we can **_catch fireflies_**?"

Emily smiles down at her younger cousin and nods yes to him. "Sure, let's go. Dad, do we need to take the walkies so you can tell us when dinner will be ready?"

"Well, with all the food I'm making, it will most likely be a while. However, you should take them just in case you lose track of time." Emily nods turns back to Ben. The two go over to where Eloise, Teri, and Jon are. Ben tells them the plan and they call for the kids.

" ** _Listen up_** , everyone. Your **_cousins Emily and Benson_** are going out to the **_field_**. If you want to go with them, come **_line_** **_up over here_**." Damien, Lyndsey, Hannah, and Ashtyn run over, and TJ comes over with Margaret on his shoulders.

"All right, that's good," Joseph says. "Now, I am making these kids the adults: Emily, Benson, and TJ. Little kids, you are to **_listen_** to your big cousins or Mr. TJ while you are with them. When they **_say_** it's **_time to come back_** , then that **_means_** it will be **_time to come back_**. If they say not to do something, – Damien and Ashtyn, I am talking to you two – then you do not continue to do it. Does everyone **_understand_**?"

A chorus of 'yes, sir', and 'okay, daddy' are heard. "Great! Then I want a few of you to take some flashlights and lanterns with you. Cousin Benny has a backpack with jars for your fireflies. Now, get to it, and have fun!" He dismisses the group and the kids all run over to the 'adults'.

They start walking down the middle of the grassy path. The path is made by the fruit trees lining the sides. When each child was born, James made sure to set aside a spot where he would plant trees for them. Each child got some kind of flower tree; rose, tulips, lilies, etc. to represent their birth. They each have a tree the same age as them.

Then, when the kids are between 2 and 3 years of age, James lets them pick out their favorite fruit; apples, oranges, pears, etc. and then he plants that tree and it keeps on that way until each member of the family has their very own tree that they can pick the fruit from in the mornings after their sleepovers.

In the field they arrive at, it is lined with trees and bushes, with a pond in one corner and the rest being a huge, open field for the kids to run around in. Benson and TJ give out instructions for the kids not to go too far out before letting them loose. Then they turn back to Emily and Elijah who are sitting with Jason on the rocks.

"I say we give them ten minutes, and on the way back, we can pick some of the fruits off the trees," Benson suggests and the other teens nod in agreement.

On the way back, Jenny helps Emily picks some oranges from her tree and the other teens do the same with the little kids with their own trees. Then they head back to the house. Once there, the kids are all herded inside to wash their hands and leave the glass jars with the fireflies on the counter.

Once dinner is over with, the bedrooms are handed out and pjs are put on.

* * *

 **Here it is! Movie night with the family plus some sign language. Please review and let me know what you thought. :)**

 **Up next:** ** _When the Hands Hit Three_** **– JJ's first day of preschool.**


	12. When the Hands Hit Three

_**First Day of School**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 80.1°F**  
 **Low Temp.: 55.9°F  
Precipitation: 0 inches  
**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own the characters of Criminal Minds.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: K+-T**

 **Notes: Words in** ** _bold and italic_** **are words in sign language. This a filler chapter. Short and sweet, (yes, this is what I call short-and-sweet). The next chapter will be longer, (much longer).**

* * *

 _ **Saturday, Sept. 3rd, 1982**_

* * *

 ** _*Jareau Residence (Michael and Sandy)*_**

Michael, Sandy, Jenny, and Emily are currently sitting in the kitchen discussing the new school year that is going to start in a few days.

They are explaining to JJ what they were notified of about three and a half weeks ago: that Jenny will be held back and not move on to the four/five-year-old room, where she would have stayed two years, (because Sandy and Michael want her to be six in kindergarten).

Emily is here to help explain to her because earlier when they tried to have the conversation, Jenny got upset, almost inconsolable, when she was told she was being held back, and they knew it would be no use talking about it then.

So, here they are now.

" ** _But, Mamma,_** " Jenny makes a whining noise to go with the sign. " ** _Why I have to go? I'm a big girl_**." She says, proud that she knows it. ** _"I go big girl's room_**."

Sandy sighs as she closes her eyes. She knew this was going to be difficult. But how can you explain to your child that the reason she is being held back is because she, for lack of a better word, is not as smart as the other kids? That she doesn't meet the requirements for moving on?

JJ only knows about 4-5 of her colors and even then, she can't really pronounce them. She can't write her name or hold a pencil correctly. Most four-year-olds can hold their pencils or crayons with their finger and thumbs, but Jenny holds hers in her fist.

JJ knows a limited amount of letters, numbers, and shapes. She cannot recognize all the needed numbers on paper. She can, however, recognize J, E, N, and Y because of her name, and the letters B for butterfly, A, D, M, and O because they make up 'Emmy', 'mommy', and 'daddy'.

She also knows yellow is for the sun, green is for the grass, and blue is for the sky, (and her eyes). But she calls them 'the sun, 'the grass' and 'my eyes'. While most of the kids can copy circles and identify a rectangle, square, triangle or oval, Jenny only knows the circle, square and triangle.

And, while kids are learning new words every week, some even every day, at the ages of 3, 4, and 5 years old, Jen has trouble learning new words. She has trouble with words that have blended sounds ('th' in the, 'bl' in blue, etc.) and therefore, just points and gestures instead of speaking, or mispronounces words, most of the time.

Overall, Jenny knows 7 letters, about five colors, and four shapes. She cannot hold a pencil correctly, point out certain letters, numbers, or shapes, and she has a very limited vocabulary.

Her teacher was very concerned about this and expressed that it would probably be best if Jenny stayed behind instead of moving ahead with the other kids. Unfortunately, Michael and Sandy had to agree with this.

So, here they are. Sitting at the table, trying to explain to JJ why she is not moving forward with all of her friends.

"Jenny, it's **_O.K._** ," Emily tells. " ** _Sometimes_** kids just need **_extra learning time_**. And **_you_** just happen to be **_one of those kids_** , **_O.K._ _?_** But that doesn't mean you aren't smart or doing well in school. All it means is you need more time to learn your colors and numbers, and your shapes."

The little girl sighs. This is all too much for her. She just can't understand the why part. But she nods anyway because what Emily is saying is making a little bit of sense. She knows she doesn't know her numbers and letters or her colors.

She knows this but didn't think it was a big deal. Maybe Emmy is right. Maybe all she needs is extra learning time.

" ** _'Ay, Emmy_** ," She finally says. " ** _Emmy_** says'it **_o.k._** Mes 'mart, **_Mamma_**."

Sandy nods. "Yes, you are very smart. And Emmy's right; it will be okay." Jenny yawns and Sandy decides it is bedtime for the little preschooler. Jenny turns to Emily.

" ** _Emmy, sing_**?"

"Of course. Come on, let's go potty and then I will sing you a song." Emily takes her upstairs and makes sure she brushes her teeth properly and uses the bathroom. Then the two head to Jenny's room.

" ** _Emmy, you stay too,_** ** _'ay_**?" Jenny asks and Emily smiles at her.

"No, _Love_ , I'm sorry, but I can't stay tonight. Remember? I have to get ready to go to the big school." She watches as Jenny's face falls and runs a hand through her curls.

"Now, don't be sad, _Love_. I'll see you bright and early in the morning, okay?" Jenny just nods and climbs into her bed

After Emmy tucks her in, she sings what has become their song. Jenny is out like a light before she is even finished. She covers the preschooler up and kisses her forehead.

Then she tiptoes downstairs and heads home to get ready for her own first day of school. She is officially going to be in Junior High and wants to get the last-minute to-dos out of the way, so she can enjoy her last "summer" weekend before school on Monday.

Emily climbs into her own bed and slowly drifts off to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Monday, Sept. 6**_ _ **th, 1982  
**_ _ **East Allegheny Preschool Academy**_

* * *

Bright and early Wednesday morning, the whole Jareau family plus Emily stop at the preschool for Jenny's first day.

Michael and Sandy are little worried about how Jenny will take being left here all day after being home all summer. While Rosaline went without a hitch, prancing right into her classroom and over to her favorite toy, Elijah, believe it or not, was horrible.

After the summer when he was four years old, leaving him at preschool was harder than Michael and Sandy thought it would be. And him being their first child, they thought something was seriously wrong. He would fight and scream, shout and cry, and beg them not leave him.

The teacher explained to them that this was normal. After being home all summer, especially when not left with a babysitter, instead, being home with mom and dad, then the kids sometimes have trouble leaving their parents and being away all day.

So, they were offered two solutions: one, they could give him a kiss, a hug, and a 'see ya later, alligator', and then leave their (screaming and crying) child behind. Or two, they could start out the first week back with half days; dropping him off in the mornings, leaving him for morning snack and playtime, and then, by the time lunch was over, he would be back at home.

Again, with Elijah being their first and only child at the time, they immediately chose the second one. And that's how it went, Monday through Friday. Sandy picked him up one day, Michael the next. Then on Friday, they both came and picked him up.

By Monday of the next week, Elijah only shed a few tears in the morning, and once he saw they his mommy and daddy _would_ pick him up the end of the day, and that they _didn't_ forget about him, he was okay.

Rosaline, however, was completely different. That first day of preschool, at 3 years old, with her mommy, daddy, and 5-year-old big brother accompanying her, she waltzed right into the classroom and over to the cubby she was shown during open house. She put her backpack up and then told Sandy, Michael, and Elijah goodbye.

Then, she walked over to what she had already deemed her favorite toy and didn't give them a second glance. Sandy and Michael were both relieved and saddened by the fact that their baby girl was growing up. Elijah just wanted to get on to kindergarten, which he called "big boy" school and was _so_ excited about – a big difference from the year before.

Now, here they are with Jenny. How will she be? Will she be clingy like her big brother or fearless like her big sister? Will she go half-and-half, like last year? They aren't too sure, especially because it's not just them this year. Since Jen met Emily this summer, she has become quite attached to the older girl, and always wants to do 'big kid' things with Emily.

Only one way to find out.

The group walks over to Jenny's door. To make this year easier, with her staying behind and everything, Jenny will have the same teacher as she did when she was three years old. The teacher, Miss Rose, is standing by the door greeting the preschoolers and their families. She smiles when she notices JJ walking up.

"Well, hello, Miss Jennifer. How are you this morning?"

"Good, buh my nay is JJ, Mih Wose." Jenny says as she stops by her classroom door. _Good, but my name is JJ, Miss Rose._

Emily thinks it's adorable that JJ still sort of slurs the name 'Rose' and pronounces it with a 'W' instead of an 'R'.

"Oh, it is?" Miss Rose looks to Sandy and Michael to confirm. Sandy nods.

"Yes, she's decided this summer she would like to be call by her initials 'JJ'." Miss Rose nods in understanding.

"Well, that is quite all right. You can say your name is 'JJ' when we do Circle Time this morning, okay?" Jenny looks to Emily.

"It's okay, _Love_. Just tell all the kids your name is JJ and not Jenny. Okay?" Jenny nods.

"Well, JJ, why don't you come inside. You can put your backpack in your cubby." Miss Rose suggests, and the preschooler walks inside holding Emily's hand.

 _So far, so good_. Sandy and Michael think as they and Eli and Rosa follow the two girls inside.

Jenny takes Emily over to the row of cubbies. Sandy and Michael brought her to open house a few days ago in order to meet the teacher, for Jenny to get familiar with the classroom, meet some other students, and find her cubby.

"Which one is yours, _Love_?" Emily asks, bending down beside the preschooler.

"Dis!" Jenny points to one that has a piece of tape with the name _Jennifer J_ written on it.

"Very good! Let's hang up your backpack, okay?" Jenny hands Emily her bag and she hangs it up. "All right, _Love_. Can you give me a kiss and a hug?" Jenny makes a 'duck' face and gives Emily a kiss before throwing herself at her.

" ** _Luh 'ooh, Emmy_**." She whispers and signs at the same time, and Emily smiles.

" ** _I love you, too_** , sweet girl. Now, why don't you go give mommy and daddy, and sissy and bubby a kiss and hug?"

She watches as Jenny runs over to parents and siblings. She was told of how Elijah was in preschool and how Sandy and Michael don't know how Jenny is going to react after being home all summer.

Emily has a pretty good idea, though. She spent the night more times than not because it upset Jenny when it was time Emily to leave at night. This is going to be hard for the little girl; when she realizes she will be alone all day (in her mind), without mommy and daddy, sissy or bubby, and especially without her Emmy.

"I love you, baby." She hears Sandy say. "Be good and have a great first day. Daddy and I love you, bunches, and we'll you this afternoon."

"I love you, _Peanut_ ," Michael says. "Have fun playing with all those cool toys.

" ** _'_** ** _Ay_**! **_Bye, Mamma! Bye, Daddy_**!" Jenny says as giving Sandy and Michael a hug and kiss. Then she does the same with Rosaline and Elijah.

Emily comes over and bends down grabbing the little girl's attention. _Wait for it…_

"Jenny, **_I love you_** , _Ladybug_. Your **_mamma_** is going to **_take me to school_** , and **_I'll see you this afternoon_**. **_O.K._**?" Emily tells her, short and simple.

Then she watches as Jenny's face falls, and it dawns on her that her Emmy is leaving. She looks to her parents who are standing by the door, and Emily can see that she is about to cry.

"'Ooh s'ay hewe, Emmy, 'ay? Wid me?" Jenny asks hopefully. But Emily shakes her head. _You stay here, Emmy, 'kay? With me?_

" ** _I'm sorry_** , _Love_." She says gently. "I have to go to school, too. **_I'll see this afternoon_** though, all right? Can I have one more hug and kiss before I go?"

Jenny just shakes her head, her curly pigtail bouncing around. She throws herself at Emily, the force knocking the two back, as she gears up for her full-on crying mode. _…and there it is._

"No! Mes wah'ooh t's'ay!" She cries, slurring her words together. _No! Me want you to stay!_

Emily sighs as she looks up at Jenny's parents. Michael is walking over to them. He bends down and tries to remove Jenny from Emily's arms, but she isn't having any of it. "No!"

" _Peanut_ , I know you want Emmy to stay. But she has to go to school, too. Just like bubby and sissy do."

"Can I try something, Mic?" Emily asks, as rubs the little girl's back to try and calm her down.

"Of course, Emily. If you need help, we'll be over here." Emily nods and watches as he takes his place back at the door. Emily stands, taking the little girl with her, and sits in the chair Miss Rose offers. She sits with the preschool in her lap and gently rocks her, while Jenny continues to cling to her.

Emily allows the little girl a couple more minutes of silence, as Jenny continues to cry and say, "Me s'ay wih 'oou, Emmy. 'Ooh no go. 'Ay? No, go." _Me stay with you, Emmy. You no go. 'Kay? No go._

Emily runs her hand through Jenny's curls and forces to the little girl to pull back. "No! Emmy!"

"Yes, Jen. Look at me, sweetie. Can you look at Emmy for a second?" Jenny shakes her head and tries to lunge back at Emily, but she doesn't allow it. She pulls back holding the little girl's chin up with her finger so Jenny can look her in the eye.

"Jennifer Anne, look at me." She says sternly. When JJ finally glances up, big crocodile tears rolling down her face, she continues. " _Love_ , I know you want me to stay, and I know it's because I've been with you almost every day this summer, but I have to go to school." She takes a pause to make sure JJ is listening, as the little girl has trouble understanding largely said paragraphs.

"And you know what? You are going to have so much fun. You'll get to have snacks, and play with so many cool toys. You'll make some new friends and have lunch and you will go outside. Then you'll take a nap, and before you know it, mommy and daddy will be coming to pick you up."

"No!" She insists. "Me s'ay wih _'_ ooh! Emmy no go." She repeats as she winds up again and throws herself at Emily. This time the older girl can't stop her, and she just sighs. She has one last idea. So, she gently rubs Jenny's back and kisses the top of her head.

Then she reaches around the upset little girl to take off her watch that is on her wrist. She takes one of Jenny's wrists and begins putting it on. Jenny pulls back and looks down, intrigued by what Emily is doing to her.

"'Ooh doin', Emmy?" She asks. _What are you doing?_

"I am giving you my watch. Now, look here, Jen." After Emily tightens it to fit JJ's tiny wrist, she points to the hands.

"Right now it is 7:35 a.m. The big hand is on the 7 and the little hand is in-between the 6 and the 7. When the little _and_ the big hand are both on the 3, mommy and daddy will be here to pick you up. Okay?" She sees she has Jenny's attention and continues.

"You are going to have snacks and learning time; recess and playtime; lunchtime and naptime. Then it will be the end of the day. Now, repeat after me: when the little hand is on the 3…"

"Wheh da lil' han' is'on da dee…"

"And the big hand is on the three…"

"An' da bih han' is'on da dee…"

"Mommy and Daddy will come get me…"

"Mamma an' Babby will come geh me…"

"Yes, that's right." Emily praises her.

Jenny looks up, her bottom lip trembling. "'Oohs leabin' me?" _You leaving me?_

Emily sighs. "Yes, _Love_. But I promise to come back." She holds out her pinkie. "I pinkie promise to come back, too." Jenny links her pinkie with Emily's and nods. Then looks up and touches Emily's necklace.

"You wanna wear my locket too?" She asks and Jenny nods. Emily takes it off, placing it around Jenny's neck. Then she sets the little girl down.

Jenny nods even as she starts crying again. Emily just wipes them away, kissing her nose. "I'll see you later, _Ladybug_."

Jenny waves and Emily finally gets to leave. Miss Rose comes over and helps the little girl wipe her face with a Kleenex, telling her it'll be okay and offering to show her a cool toy that is new to the classroom.

After she gets occupied with playing, JJ has a wonderful day at preschool. She introduces herself at Circle Time and makes a new friend named Elizabella, or Bella for short.

"Hi! What's _yous_ name?" The three-year-old asks coming up to JJ. She has her long brown hair in two tiny pigtails and has overalls on over a blue shirt that make her green-blue eyes pop.

"JJ. Wha's 'oohs?"

"Elizabella, but you can call me Bella!" Bella grins. "Do you wanna be my friend?"

"Yeah!" Jenny beams.

* * *

The girls become inseparable the rest of the day, sitting beside each other for story time, lunchtime, and playing together in the room and outside on the slides. Jenny keeps a close eye on her watch. And she falls asleep during naptime while staring at it. When she awakes, the kids have an afternoon snack and then play until parents come to pick them up.

She doesn't even notice it as Sandy and Michael arrive, and let Emily walk inside. She and Bella are playing 'house' with Jamie, a little boy when Emily sneaks up behind her and lifts her into the air.

"Emmy!" She shrieks as she giggles and throws herself at the older girl. "'Ooh back!"

"I am, just like I promised. Who's your friend?"

"Bella!"

"Well, hello Bella. It's nice to meet you." The other little girl waves shyly at Emily and then runs off with Jamie. Emily turns back to JJ.

"All right, _Love_ ; let's say bye-bye to Miss Rose and then you can get your backpack."

Jenny waves bye to her friend and skips over to her cubby, grabbing her backpack. They say goodbye to Miss Rose and then Jenny runs to Michael and Sandy. She leaps into Michael's arms and gives him a hug.

"Hey, _Peanut_ ; how was your day?"

"Good!"

"That's great, sweetheart," Sandy says. "How about some ice cream to celebrate?"

"Yeah!"

"All right, let's go." The family leaves, heading to the local Ice Cream Parlor to get their usual ice cream sundae.

* * *

 **So, here is a filler chapter. Please review! Let me know what you thought! :)**

 **Also, I would like to know, do you of you out there remember your first day of preschool/kindergarten? Were you fearless? Scared to death? Did any of you ever do the half days yourself?**

 **I myself was apparently very fearless. I remember hearing that I went right into my kindergarten classroom, didn't even say goodbye to my mom! Then, she went to the car, called my grandma, and cried about how "she doesn't love me anymore!" :/ At least my sister wasn't like that.**

 **Up next:** _ **An important flashback.**_

 **Now, down below is something I have typed up.**

 **This is going to be in the bottom A/N of the next few chapters. You don't have to read it; it's entirely up to you. It is mostly for me. It is going to be summing up what happens to JJ between September and Late-October of 1982.**

 **Please don't ask about this. You'll understand my meaning in a few more chapters.**

 _ **Note: I will not post the below on flashbacks. I will skip it and resume on the next "present time" chapter**_ **.**

* * *

 ** _Once school starts up in September of '82, JJ and Rosaline are often picked up from school by Jack and Amber. If they are not picked up, they still go at least twice a month and stay the weekend, going home on Sunday afternoon. Although he doesn't do it every time, Jackson does abuse Jenny almost every time she is over._**

 ** _He does it during naptime, bath time (which he volunteers for), or during the night. He always times to when the little girl goes to the bathroom at night and sneaks in after her._**

 ** _Sometimes, he sneaks it in when Amber takes the twins to town and Madeline is at a friend's house. The reason that JJ stays home varies between her being in "trouble", "taking a nap," or "not wanting" to go. JJ soon becomes too scared to protest, especially when Jackson threatens to hurt Emily, and just does as told._**


	13. Today, an Innocence is Lost Forever

_**Today, an Innocence is Lost Forever**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc.**

* * *

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters. I do own all characters not associated with the show.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: M.**

 **Trigger Warning: Scenes of molestation. Please read with caution!**

* * *

 _ **Flashback: June 8th, 1938**_

* * *

 **Today is a very special day. Today, a certain Jareau is turning three years old. Today, a Jareau little boy will get to have fun with his family and friends. Today, a little boy will get his innocence stolen away forever.**

 **He runs around with all of his friends and family members.**

 **He plays** ** _Cops and Robbers_** **before it is time for cake and presents.**

 **"** **Im'ma get you!" He yells as he pretends to point a gun at his friend. "Stop! Im'ma cop and Im'ma** ** _rested_** **you!"**

 **He gets everything he asked for and is very happy to blow out** ** _three whole candles_** **on his very special chocolate birthday cake.**

 **Everyone enjoys chocolate cake and strawberry ice cream sundaes that have sprinkles, hot fudge, and whip cream on them. After cake and ice cream, it's time for the special birthday movie. The birthday boy's mommy and daddy gather everyone up and they head to the outdoor movie theatre.**

 **Later at home, the birthday boy's mommy tucks in him into his big boy bed and kisses him goodnight, telling him once last time, "Happy Birthday, my sweet, sweet, boy."**

 **Then, late at night, his daddy comes in. He tiptoes over to his son's bed and prepares to do the one thing he can never take back.**

 **He wakes his son up. The little boy sits up, tired and confused. "Daddy? What're you doin'?" He asks. But he shushes his son and instead of talking, he gently removes the blanket. He tells his baby boy to remove his pajama bottoms.**

 **His son does as told, looking more confused by the second.**

 **He then takes off his son's underwear and says,**

 **"** **Now, now, -. Be a good boy for daddy and do as you are told." He then takes his hand and puts it on his son's private part. He takes his finger and rubs it. He keeps doing it for a few seconds before removing his own pants and making his son touch him.**

 **"** **But, daddy, mommy says that's'a no-no." His son looks terrified, but he ignores it. Instead, he says, once again,**

 **"** **Be a good boy, -. Do as you are told." He son reaches out and touches him. He continues for a few more moments before stopping and getting dressed.**

 **He then dresses his son.**

 **"** **Remember, son," He whispers. "Don't tell anyone; it's a secret." His son nods, confused as to why his daddy had touched his private and why he made him touch his own when his mommy says it is a big no-no.**

 **Today was another special day. Today, another Jareau boy turned three years old. Today, another Jareau got to have fun with his friends and family. And today, a little boy had his innocence stolen away forever.**

 **And the next day, his daddy would buy him the first of a very long list of toys and treats.**

* * *

 _ **Flashback: May 13**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 1955**_

* * *

 **Today is another special day. Today, another Jareau turns three years old. Today, another Jareau will get their innocence stolen away forever.**

 ** _Cops and Robbers_** **is also this little boy's favorite game. He plays with his big brother and all of his friends.**

 **"** **I'm going to get you!" He yells out. "Stop,** ** _Robber_** **! You're** ** _u'der_** **arrest!" The little boy and his brother and friends play until they are called for cake and ice cream.**

 **This little Jareau boy gets a vanilla cake with one single #** ** _3_** **candle. After his wish and blowing out the candle, the guests gets cake and chocolate ice cream with sprinkles.**

 **"** **Happy Birthday!" Everyone sings as he smiles happily. The kids gather around for a picture.**

 **He opens his gifts and gets everything he asked for. Action figures and books. The super-special shoes he wanted. The brand new, special markers that just came out.**

 **After cake, ice cream, and presents, it's time for the movie. They load up and head to the theatre. The movie they watch is fantastic. Funny, silly, and good for the whole family.**

 **That night, after the guests are gone and the presents are put away, the little boy's mom puts him to bed.**

 **"** **Goodnight, birthday boy. I love you, baby." She whispers with a kiss on his forehead.**

 **"** **Goodnight, Mommy." He whispers back. He slowly drifts off to sleep, remembering what a fun day he had today.**

 **Later that night, just like before, the dad creeps into his son's room. He silently goes over to his son's bed and wakes him up. He takes the covers off and tells him to take off his pajama bottoms.**

 **"** **Daddy?" His son whispers, tired and confused. He remembers doing the same on his third birthday. Now, he does what his own father did to him. He tells his son,**

 **"** **Shh, now, -…Be a good boy and do as you are told." He takes his son's underwear off and touches his private. His son jumps in shock and looks at him, no longer confused or tired, but instead, scared and unsure.**

 **"** **Be a good boy." He tells him, as he touches and rubs his son's privates. Then he takes off his own pajama pants and his boxers.**

 **He doesn't want to do this, but he has too. Doesn't he?**

 **His dad did to him. And his dad told him this is what all special little boys do with their daddies. So, he chose his youngest son to be his special little boy. He looks at his son and says,**

 **"** **Be a good boy. Do as you are told." Then he takes his son's hand and touches his own private part.**

 **It feels good. He knows it shouldn't. He knows it's wrong. But, if it** ** _is_** **wrong, why does it feel good?**

 **"** **D-Daddy? What are y-you d-doing?" His son asked, and he knows the little boy is afraid. He was afraid too, at first. But then, he liked being his daddy's special little boy. He liked it when his dad bought him special gifts.**

 **"** **Be a good boy." After a few more minutes, he gets dressed and does the same with his son.**

 **"** **Don't tell; it's a secret." He says as he leaves the room.**

 **Today was another special day. Today, another Jareau boy turned three years old. Today, another Jareau got to have fun with his friends and family.** **Today, Jackson Jareau lost his innocence forever.**

* * *

 **What did you think? Did you expect it to go back this far?**

 **If you can, please review!**

 **If you cannot or you chose to skip this chapter, I understand. I didn't like writing it, but that's what I do; I write the kind stuff most people would rather sweep under the rug and pretend it doesn't happen.**

 **Up Next:** ** _Another important flashback_** **. –** **June 21** **st** **, 1975.**


	14. Getting a New Toy

_**Getting a New Toy**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 86** **°F**  
 **Low Temp.: 63** **°F** **  
Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **A huge** **thanks to the people who reviewed last chapter, and a big welcome to the new followers/favortiers:**

 _ **AbsterStories  
Alswim  
Zhangxinna**_

 **Disclaimers: I do own Criminal Minds or the characters. I own all characters not associated with the show.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: T for hints of molestation.**

 **Rosaline: 3 years old.  
Madeline: 3 years old. **

**On with the story.**

* * *

 _ **Flashback: June 21**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 1975**_

* * *

 **The next afternoon, after church, Jackson takes the girls and heads to the toy store. He tells Sandy that Rosaline wants to go with him to pick out a new fishing pole for this summer. So, he loads them up while Amber gets a ride home with Sandy, Michael, and five-year-old Elijah.**

 **Rosie doesn't seem to be affected by what he did to her. He remembers Maddie being the same way. She bounced back afterward.**

 **That is, until about the third time, when she realized that her daddy was going to touch her private, no-no spot more than just once. Jackson always gives Maddie a special gift after each time.**

 **Sometimes it's the newest Barbie doll that is in stores; others, it's a new shirt or a new pair of shoes.**

 **Sometimes, it's a dollar.**

 **Sometimes, it's a dollar** ** _and_** **a new toy.**

 **Madeline now has 6 dollars and three new Barbie dolls.**

 **Jackson pulls into the toy store parking lot and parks up close to the door. He gets out, undoing Maddie and Rosaline's car seats and walking them inside.**

 **Rosaline is bouncing beside him, while Madeline holds his hand like a good little girl. To anyone who doesn't know she is normally a peppy, playful, full-of-energy little girl, all they see is a well-behaved three-year-old who is not being rowdy or demanding that she get a treat.**

 **"** **Now, Rosaline," Jackson says once they are alone in the toy aisle. He has a cart, but both girls are beside him. This is so he can have as much physical contact as possible with them. "You can pick out one toy. And remember, this is our secret, right?"**

 **Rosaline nods enthusiastically. She is thrilled she gets a new toy** ** _after_** **her birthday. "Wight, Un'le Jack! It's our** ** _ssscrete_** **." Rosaline then turns to the shelves and begins looking for that one special toy her mommy and daddy won't let her have because it's just a little too expensive.**

 **She finally spots it, the super-special Barbie that comes with it all. A horse and carriage, a horse-riding outfit, and other accessories for the horse and Barbie.**

 **"** **That one, Un'le Jack. I want that toy." She points to a toy that is just out of reach of her tiny arms and he gets and puts it in the cart.**

 **He then turns to leave but Madeline stops him by pulling on his shirt. She holds up a toy and he shakes his head.**

 **"** **No, Madeline. It isn't your turn today. It will your turn next time, and then you can get** ** _your_** **special gift. Is that understood?" His only daughter, his baby girl, nods, and sighs, placing the toy back on the shelf.**

 **A part of Madeline Christine Jareau is happy that her daddy found someone else to touch. It means her daddy won't touch her no-no spot so much. It means she can sleep through the night with her daddy waking her up. It means she won't be so tired during the day at preschool anymore.**

 **But, she is pretty smart for a three-year-old. And she knows that if her daddy isn't touching her, then he is going to be touching Rosie. And the last time he did that, her best friend got really sad and cried. And she did not like that one bit.**

 **So, she thinks as she watches her daddy push the buggy with one hand, the other firmly placed on her cousin's shoulder, if having her daddy touch her more and Rosie less means her best friend won't be sad and won't cry as much, then she will gladly step up and be her replacement next time.**

 **After they stop at the toy aisle, Jackson heads over to the fishing isle. He looks around and eventually buys some bait, fishing line, and a new fishing pole so he will have something to show Amber and so she won't be suspicious.**

 **At his house, Jackson tells Maddie to show Rosie where to put her new toy. She can't take it home because her birthday was just the other day and it would be suspicious if Rosie came home with an expensive, new toy.**

 **So, Maddie takes her cousin's hand and then leads her to her room. She goes over to her closet, opens the door, and pulls out a box. It has money and her new Barbie dolls in it.**

 **After Rosaline puts the Barbie doll and the horsie in the box, they go downstairs for a lunch of mac and cheese before laying down for a movie and naptime.**

* * *

 **Here you go. The follow up chapter to an earlier flashback. How did I do? I know that kids who come home with gifts/money for no real reason, especially if it happens often and without explanation, is usually a sign that something is going on or happening to that child.**

 **What did you guys think of little Maddie's thoughts? In your reviews, if you would, can you also answer me the questions down below? Thank you! :)**

 **Tell me what you think of the story so far. Is it believable? Is it realistic that Jackson has gotten away with hurting Rosaline, Maddie,** _and_ **Jenny in his house with his wife around?**

 **Is it convincing that Rosaline and Madeline (now 10 years old) haven't said anything? And that Amber doesn't notice her husband gone from bed almost every night? And, most importantly, is it realistic that he is doing this and** _has not_ **gotten caught yet?**


	15. Natalie & Leslie's 3rd B-day

_**Leslie & Natalie's 3rd birthday party**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Tem.: 82.9** **°F** **  
Low Temp.: 62.1** **°F**  
 **Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own the characters of Criminal Minds or Barbie and her family.  
Rating: K+-T  
Spoilers: None**

 **A/N: Here is a fluffy, fun, kiddy chapter to make up for the last two flashbacks. It will have a little spot with Maddie and the twins playing in her room. Also, I know that Barbie probably only had one dog, but I looked up the name of it and came up with about 4 different answers. So in this Barbie Universe, she and her family have two dogs. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Saturday, Sept. 11th, 1982  
Nattie/Leslie's 3rd birthday**_

* * *

On their birthday, Leslie and Natalie both get up super early. They are so excited for their 3rd birthday party today. They know that they turned 3 yesterday, but their party with all their presents, cake, and ice cream is today and they just can't wait.

They jump out of their beds and race downstairs. Their ten-year-old sister, Madeline, is sitting on the couch watching cartoons and looks up when she hears them come tumbling down the hallway. She turns the TV off and opens her arms, the twins jumping into them.

"Hi, sissy!" Leslie says, jumping on the couch and onto her sister's lap. She gives her a big hug that is soon joined in by her twin sister. "Yeah! Hi, sissy!" Natalie follows and Maddie gives them a big grin.

"Do you guys know what today is?!" She asks enthusiastically. They both nod with just as much enthusiasm.

"Yeah, yeah! We's dree t'day, sissy! We's big'irls!" They shout simultaneously, making Maddie grin bigger.

"Yeah! That's right! Let's go wake mommy and daddy up, okay? Then we can have your special birthday breakfast." The twins jump up and race Madeline up the stairs and to Jack and Amber's room. They run in and pounce on the bed, effectively waking their mom and dad.

"Mommy! Dada! Daddy! Wade up! We's big'irls t'day! We's dree!" Amber and Jack sit up, each grabbing one of the girls and hug them. Then Amber shouts out "switch!" and playfully pushes Nat away and into Jack's arms while he does the same with Leslie.

"Hey, there's the other birthday girl!" He says and gives Natalie a hug also.

"Who's ready for their super-special birthday breakfast?" Amber asks and the girls both cheer. They get out of bed, Maddie letting Natalie on her back as they walk down the stairs. She stops at the bottom and Natalie changes places with Leslie for the rest of the way to the kitchen.

Amber cooks the girls their special strawberry pancakes with whipped cream and chocolate milk. After breakfast, Maddie takes the girls upstairs to her room. There, they get to play with her Barbies and Barbie Dream House. Something they weren't allowed to do last year.

"Sissy, look! Barbie's takin'a baf!" Natalie says, putting the Barbie doll in the bathtub.

The ten-year-old smiles her baby sister. "Cool, Nattie. Is she going to take a plain bath or a bubble bath?"

"She gots bubbles!"

Leslie is playing with Ken. She takes him and hands him to Maddie pointing to his legs.

"What do you want me to do with Ken, Lessie?" Maddie asks, using her special nickname for the three-year-old. "Do you want him to stand?" Leslie shakes her head. "Do you want him to dance?" Maddie moves the doll in a "dancing" fashion.

"No, sil-lee!" Leslie giggles. "Me wan'em'ta sit!'

"Oh! Okay," Maddie smiles and bends the doll's legs. "Now, is he going to be eating?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay! Let's pretend this is the daddy doll, okay? And he is going to make breakfast for his wife, Barbie, and their daughters, Skipper and Stacie."

"Yeah, he's'a good dada," Leslie says as Natalie digs around for the Stacie and Skipper dolls.

"Here, Sissy!" She finally says, holding them up. Maddie takes them and makes them 'sit' at the table in her dollhouse.

"Okay, what is the daddy going to make for breakfast?" She asks.

"Um…I dunno." Leslie shrugs.

"How about he makes bacon and eggs for Barbie because you like them, Lessie. And he can make sausage and bacon for the daughters because it's your favorite, Nattie?"

"Yeah! Those are yummy!"

"Okay!" Maddie moves the 'daddy' doll to the stove in the little kitchen and pretends to make breakfast. She then moves over to the table and 'hands out' the breakfast.

"Oh, thank you, honey." She says in a high-pitched voice, pretending to be Barbie. "This breakfast looks delicious! I'm going to eat every bit!" She gives Stacie to Leslie and Skipper to Natalie.

"Here is your sausage and bacon, daughters. Eat up!" She says in a 'daddy' voice. She turns to Leslie. "Lessie, pretend to eat and then say 'thank you for our breakfast daddy!' Leslie does as she's told, moving the Stacie doll and 'eating' the pretend sausage and bacon.

"Fank you fow ouw bweakfast, Dada!" She says in a 'Stacie' voice. "Dat was yummy and delisis!"

"Good job, Lessie! Now you do it, Natalie. Eat your breakfast and make Skipper say 'thank you' to her daddy." Natalie moves her doll in a similar fashion and then says,

"Thank you, Daddy! My bweakfast was very, very, very yummy!"

"You're welcome, daughters and my wife." Maddie says, moving back to her 'daddy' voice. "Now it is time to walk the dog. Skipper, Stacie, go get Prince and Beauty." Maddie digs around in her toy box and finds two dogs. She hands one to each twin.

"Okay, Dada!" Leslie says. "Let's walk, Pwince!" She takes the dog and pretends to 'walk' him. "Sissy, he goed pee-pee! He's'a good puppy!"

"Yay for Prince!" Maddie claps. She switches back to her 'daddy' voice. "Prince gets a treat for being a good puppy."

"Yay, Pwince! Yum, yum, yum! Pwince lo-oves his tweat!"

"I'm happy Prince liked his treat. Now, Skipper, was Beauty a good puppy, too?"

Natalie frowns and shakes her head. "No, Daddy, " She says in her 'Skipper' voice. "Beauty did a no-no."

"Oh? And what was the no-no that Beauty did?"

"She went poo-poo on da floor!" Natalie tells in an over-dramatic voice. She then turns to Beauty and shakes a finger. "No, no, Beauty. Bad puppy. You hafta go poo-poo in da gwass, not da f'oor!"

Maddie makes the daddy doll shake his head. "Oh, Beauty, I've told you, you have to outside to potty. Well, I guess Beauty won't get a treat this morning. But, when it is lunchtime, if Beauty goes potty outside, then she will get a treat."

"Yay, Beauty!" Natalie cheers.

* * *

 ** _*Later on in the day*_**

Later in the day, the party is in full swing. Kids from both Leslie and Natalie's preschool classes come as well as their cousins.

Emily is currently playing the twins as they show her some of their new toys. All throughout the day, the twins get all of the attention. They got to choose what to eat for lunch, where the party guests sat (with help from mom and dad), where the decorations went, what table would be for presents, and they were allowed to bring their toys down to the family room.

JJ sees a friend of her older cousins, Eliza and Maggie. A certain little girl who just arrived at the party. She has long blonde hair, brown eyes, and a very bubbly spirit. She was born just a year before JJ, maing her 5 years old. JJ jumps up and runs over to her just as the little blonde is placing her present on the table. Jackson and Amber saved that the present opening for last.

"Hi, Penny!

"Hi, JJ!" The other blonde responds. "Come on! Let's go to the bouncy house!" The two blondes race to the backyard where there are several bouncy castles set up. They go to the princess bounce house.

"Come on, JJ!" Penny says. "I'll show you how to do a flip!" Penelope bounces for a couple of seconds before she flips in the air, landing back on her knees. JJ squeals in excitement and claps.

"Now you do it, JJ!" Penelope walks closer. "Here, jump up in the air and I'll help you do a flip." After a couple of tries, JJ successfully does a flip. Penelope cheers her on and the two continue to jump, having fun and giggling

"All right, kids!" Amber claps her hands. "Is everyone ready to watch the birthday girls open their presents?" There's a chorus of 'yes' and 'yeah', and everyone gathers around the twins.

They begin with the biggest presents because the twins are getting restless since it is way past the two preschoolers' naptime. They open up one big present, addressed to the both of them. It's a Little Tyke's playhouse that comes complete with a mail slot in the pink door, a little flowerpot that sits in the window and a play phone inside. There is also a stove that flips outwards or inwards.

"Cool! Mamma, look!"

"Wow. I see that." A few more big presents later and the twins have received Itty Bitty American Girl dolls, a Barbie Dream House and the Barbie car.

Next are the smaller presents. Some from long-distance relatives and others from their classmates.

"Mamma! A colowin' book!" Leslie says, holding up a Sesame Street coloring book and some jumbo crayons.

"Yeah, we got c'o'es, Mommy!" Nattie holds up her own bag, matching pjs for her Itty baby and herself. She opens another bag and gets her own jumbo crayons and Sesame Street coloring book.

The twins open the rest of their presents. They receive princess movies, Scooby-Doo movies, and a few new outfits for school. They also receive some Barbie dolls for their Dreamhouse and some bottles, toys, and clothes for their baby dolls along with some play jewelry and some dress-up clothes. And some number/letter/shape puzzles since they will officially be in half-day preschool this year and will need to be learning their numbers, letters, shapes, etc.

"Mommy, look! _Big Bird_!" Natalie beams as she holds up the _Sesame Street_ coloring book.

"Mamma, we change? _P'ease_ , _p'ease_ , _p'ease_?" She begs, and Amber nods, only allowing them to change their baby dolls.

"Do you need mamma or daddy to help, Lee-Lee?" She asks and Leslie obediently hands over the baby doll. After dressing the dolls up, the twins go around and thank everyone for their presents. Then they beg their dad and uncles to put their Barbie dream house in their room before saying goodbye to their friends for the day.

Overall, the twins have a fantastic 3rd birthday.

* * *

 **Here it is. Please review and let me know if you want anymore with Maddie and her sisters. :) I'll try to have the next one up soon. The next chapter will be a little rough. Any questions, concerns, etc., leave them in a review or PM them to me.**

 **Also, I am going to have the twins speaking on different developmental levels since twins normally do not progress at the** ** _exact same_** **speed. Lee-Lee will have trouble pronouncing her 'R's and will say "Dada" while Natalie will be able to pronounce them just fine and will say "Daddy". :)**

 **Next up:** _ **October 15th, 1988**_ **. – surprise chapter.**

* * *

 ** _Jackson has Michael and Sandy completely convinced that JJ misbehaves several times when she is at their house. He has told them about how she picks on Leslie or Nat, and how she bugs Madeline relentlessly, or about her "throwing fits" and continuously having to be in time-out._**

 ** _Therefore, when JJ began to beg them not to make her go in early October, they dismissed it as her going through a stage of 'acting out' and threatened groundment if she did not do as Amber and Jack said. (This only further tainted her mind that no one would not believe her if she said anything about what happens)._**


	16. Chapter 14

_**October 15th, 1982**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc.**

* * *

 **Weather on this:**

 **High Temp.: 59** **°F**  
 **Low Temp.: 51.1** **°F** **  
Precipitation: 0 inches (rain/drizzle)**

 **Disclaimers: I don't own the characters of Criminal Minds. I do own the characters, places, etc. that you do not recognize.  
Rating: T/M for talk of molestation, harmful thoughts to a child, etc.  
Spoilers: None as of yet.**

 **Trigger Warning: Acts of molestation. Please do not read if it is a trigger.**

* * *

 _ **Friday, October 15th, 1982**_

* * *

Early in the morning on Saturday, Jackson tiptoes into his daughters' bedroom. This is where it gets tough; not the fact that it's his daughters' innocence he is about to take away. No, where it gets tough is that he has to choose which girl goes the longest without it. He has to decide which girl loses it first.

He pauses in the middle of the room. It's split down the middle. On one side, Leslie has a purple canopy bed with the walls painted a deep purple and light purple trimming; on the other, Natalie has a pink canopy bed and the walls painted a hot pink with light pink trimming.

The girls both have a toy box at the end of their beds and both are Teddy Bear themed, the only alike thing in the room. Leslie also has a light purple bookcase with three shelves that are white. Natalie has the same thing just in a pink version. They have teddy bears, books, and a lamp that are used as a nightlight.

Jackson sighs. He doesn't know if he should do this or not. Maybe…Maybe the cycle can be broken. Maybe, he can continue with just Jenny. Maybe, he can add Eliza and Margo, although they are four years old, almost five, and may be harder to break and discipline.

He has to continue. Jenny won't give him what he needs much longer, especially with that brat Emily in the way. It's getting too close, though. He can't continue with everyone much longer. He'll have to cut back. Everyone over the age of…8 years old.

Madeline and Rosaline.

That leaves Leslie, Natalie, Elizabeth, and Margaret. Elizabeth and Margaret can be his extra-special girls. Ones that only happen every so often, because they live nearly 3 hours away.

Now, he has to decide. A or B. 1 or 2. Left or Right.

*** He takes a deep breath and goes to the right. He pulls back the covers and shakes his daughter awake. She sleepily sits up and looks at her father, confusion beginning to show on her tired face. The newly turned three-year-old rubs her eyes and yawns. "Dada? What're yow doin'?" She asks and Jackson shushes her, quickly getting to 'work'.

He looks at his baby girl. He sits her up in bed. He shushes her gently, like what he is doing doesn't make him a monster.

"Be a good girl, -. Do as you are told." He removes the blankets from his daughter's legs and makes her take her underwear off. Then he does the same with his own pants. He moves his hand towards her privates.

"Dada?" She flinches backward and looks at him with a frightened look on her face. "What're yow doin'? Momma says _dat's_ a no-no."

"Now, now, -, be a good girl. Do as you are told," He repeats. He grasps her hand and places it upon himself. "That's a good girl, –. That's right, good girl…you are Daddy's special little girl, you know that?"

"R-really?" She asks, cocking her head to the side. Her father continues to assault her as he nods. "I'm _yous 'pecial_ lil' girl?"

"Yes, that's right. You are. And you know what all special little girls do with their daddies?" She shakes her head. "They do _this_ ," He gestures between them. "All special little girls get to do this, and you know what else?"

"What Dada?" She pauses and looks up at him. "Can I stop now, please, Dada? Your pee-pee feels funny, and I don't wanna do _dis no more_." She tries to pull her hand back but Jackson holds it tighter, before realizing he'll leave a bruise if he holds any tighter, and releases it. He can continue with this another day; he will have plenty of time to do so.

"This is the special little girl and her daddy's secret. No one else can know, okay? If you do tell anyone, especially mommy, no one will believe you and they will say you are lying. Understand?" She nods, but he shakes his and makes her say it. "No, now, you tell me what I said."

"Don't tell no one. It's our _ssscrete_."

"Good. And why can you not tell anyone?"

"Cause _deys_ won't _beleibe_ me. _Deys_ say I'm'ma liar." Jackson nods at this too. But just to be sure, he says, once more,

"Good girl. Now, tell me again. Whose secret is this?"

"Mine and yours, Daddy! Im'ma good secret keeper!" She smiles at him and he smiles back. She honestly thinks this is okay, he realizes and, because of that, he probably won't have a problem with her. He just hopes her sister is the same way, believing every word he tells her wholeheartedly and is as easy as his baby girl was tonight.

"Good girl. And why can you not tell anyone?"

"Cause _deys_ won't _beleibe_ me." She frowns this time and looks down at her hand. "Dada? Can you _s'op_ now? My pee-pee hurts and your pee-pee feels funny."

He nods and moves his hand from her. He tells her to put her pants back on and then hurries with his own. He went longer tonight, having got sidetracked, and now he has to hurry back to his room before Amber wakes up and becomes suspicious.

"Remember, –. This is our secret. Don't tell anyone." He decides he will do his other baby girl later tonight if ** does well during the day and doesn't say anything. He puts a reminder in his head to go to the toy store tomorrow, to get Nat and Leslie a toy so they will remember to keep quiet.

Now all he has to do is figure out what he is going to do with Rosaline and Madeline to keep them quiet even though he won't be doing _this_ to them anymore. Maybe he can check the bands that kids are listening to these days. He can promise Rosie and Maddie goods like more money, concert tickets, gifts that preteens like.

He quickly pulls his shorts up and gives one last, "shh…remember: it's a secret; don't tell." He leaves the room and makes his way to his own, climbing in and kissing Amber's forehead when she rolls over and mumbles something in her sleep.

Right now, he falls asleep, trying to figure out how he is going to control up to five kids, if not more – he hears Emily's has many cousins – right now without slipping up. And he has to figure out just what he is going to about Rosaline and Madeline.

* * *

 **Please review if you can. Who do you think he hurt?**

 **Next chapter:** _ **Filler chapter**_ **; October 20th, 1982.**

* * *

 ** _Jenny eventually shifted tactics and started to beg Elijah not to leave her. She doesn't want to be alone with her uncle and aunt. She is not allowed to be around her sister or older cousin, only getting to play with Natalie and Leslie while in the house._**

 ** _The little girl is now absolutely terrified of her uncle and aunt. They treat her disgustingly horrible, mocking her when she can't speak, making her wear her wet underwear all day after she has an accident, and laughing at, and videoing, JJ in her scared state as she asks 'new undies, please' over and over. She is terrified of doing any kind of "wrong"._**

 ** _The little girl is living every child's worst nightmare at Jackson and Amber Jareau's house, and no one knows it. She can't tell anyone, lest she wants Jackson to begin hurting Emily. She can't say anything, lest she wants to get spanked at their house, or her privileges taken away at home._**


	17. October 20th, 1988

_**October 20th, 1982**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 73.9** **°F**  
 **Low Temp.: 55.9** **°F** **  
Precipitation: 0 inches (fog, rain/drizzle)**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own CM or the characters. I do own JJ and Emily's families, including Emily's cousins but not including Rosaline or Sandy Jareau.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: K+**

 **Emily: 12 years old.  
Aubrey aka Bree: 10 years old. (Emily's cousin)  
Jennifer: 4 years old.  
Dawn: 3 years old. (Emily's cousin)**

* * *

 _ **Thursday, October 20th, 1982**_

* * *

 ** _*Emily's house*_**

Today Emily is going to take her cousins Dawn and Aubrey, and Jenny out on the path behind her house. She is taking them for a walk and is going to teach them some "October, Fall" sign language. They'll go on the path a little bit, then veer a ways, and go to where their farm animals are being kept either in the field or in the barn.

"Are you three ready to go?" Emily asks the two preschoolers and third grader who are sitting at the table. Aubrey is helping Dawn get her shoes on, and Emily is helping Jenny.

Aubrey was held back a grade and often needs help with her reading, spelling words, and essay writing, while Dawn shows some of the same signs as Jenny. This makes Emily all the more sure about what the little preschooler has.

Aubrey has been learning sign language for past couple of years with Emily. A few of their cousins, Dawn being one, and her twin brother Dakota, also show same signs as Jenny, but they have been diagnosed already. They suspect some of the younger kids will have some form of it themselves.

"Em, I want to teach Dawn this time, okay? I know all about the animal signs and I'm a good teacher, so can I?"

"Sure, Bree-Bree. Just make sure you do it slowly so she can learn them, alright?"

"Okay!" The girls take a few more minutes to dress in their coats because it's a little chilly out.

They walk the path, going over the signs for leaf, tree, grass, rock, etc. Then they arrive at the barn and fields. They have bird feeders hanging around the edge of the barn roof and a pond to the right that usually has ducks in it. Aubrey takes Dawn over to the part of the fields where the cows and a couple of goats are.

Emily takes Jenny inside the barn where the chickens are. "Okay, Jenny, today we are going to learn the signs for chicken, duck, and bird. Are you ready?"

Jenny nods excited. " ** _Yes_** , **_Emmy_**!" Emily lifts her up so she is standing on one of the beams of the chicken coop.

"All right, _Love_. This is a chicken." She points to one pecking at the ground, eating the feed that was thrown around a few hours earlier. "Do you know what a chicken says, Jenny?"

"It says, 'bock, bock, bock'!"

"Very good! Now, are you ready to learn the sign for chicken?" Jenny nods again and Emily waits for her to "assume" the position.

Jenny steps down, facing Emily and holding her hands out, just like she's been taught to do every time she learns a new sign.

"Okay, this is a **_chicken_**." Emily makes a pair of claws with her middle and forefinger then she drops it down to her other hand. "Can you do that, Jenny? Make a claw with these fingers," She holds up her middle and forefinger. She helps Jen to see what fingers to do on her own hand and then Jenny copies her.

"Good, now drop it down to your hand. Like this," She demonstrates and JJ does it correctly almost immediately. She's learning fast and can do almost all the new signs right away.

" ** _Dat ih'uh_** **_chicken_**." _That is a chicken._

"Good job, _Love_. Now, do you know where we are at?" She asks, knowing the question will probably confuse the little girl because _of course,_ she knows where she is at.

" ** _Emmy's home_**!" Jenny replies, grinning.

"That's right. And how do you say "Emmy" in sign language?"

"Lie dis: **_Emmy_**." She signs the letter 'E' and then shakes it, just as Emily has taught her.

"Good job. That's right; we are at my house. Do you know where I live at?" Jenny thinks for a moment, but of course, the question confuses her, so she just shrugs.

"Uh…no, Emmy." She frowns and looks a bit sad.

"That's **_o.k._** We are on what's called a farm. This is how you sign farm," Emily raises a hand, splays her fingers, and places them her left ear. Then, with her palm facing outward, she moves it towards her right ear.

" ** _Farm_**." She does it a couple more times, each time saying, " ** _farm_** , **_farm_** ," or, "I live on a **_farm_**."

"Now you do it, Jenny. Take your hand like this," She demonstrates again, helping Jenny to get her hand in just the right position. "And do this," She shows her and Jenny copies.

"Emmy wives on'uh **_farm_**!" She says enthusiastically.

" ** _Great job_** , _Love_! **_You did it_**. I'm **_so proud_** of you!"

"Yay me!" Jenny cheers.

Outside, Bree is teaching Dawn the signs for bird and duck. So far, the little girl can do bird really well. It's just forming the letter _g_ and putting your hand to the right of your mouth. Then you open and close your thumb and pointer finger.

"Okay, Dawnie, are you ready to learn another sign?" Bree asks. The preschool nods enthusiastically.

"Okay. We are going to learn the sign for duck. Can you look out there," She points to the side of the barn where their duck pond is. "and show me where the duckies are?"

Dawn looks thoughtfully out to the pond. She spots a duck and grins. " _Dere_! I see a duckie!"

"Good job! And what does a duckie say?"

"Duckie goes ' _kwack-kwack-kwack_!" she says, making gestures with her arms as 'wings'.

"Yes, they do! Okay, and here is the sign for 'duck'" Bree makes a duck beak with her pointer and middle fingers and her thumb, puts them to her lips, and then opens and shuts them.

"We have a **_duck_** in our pond. That is a **_duck_** over there. **_Duck_** , ** _duck_** , ** _duck_**." Bree demonstrates. "Can you do the 'duck' sign, Dawnie?"

Dawn copies her older cousin. " ** _Duck, duck, duck, duck_**." She repeats over and over, doing the sign and making a little tune of it.

Bree praises her baby cousin. They go over duck and bird as they wait for Emily to come out of the barn. Then they switch places -Emily and Jenny doing _duck_ and _bird_ , and Bree and Dawn doing _chicken_ and _farm_. They meet back together for one last sign: _Farmer_.

Emily goes with Jenny, and Aubrey goes with Dawn. They teach the two _farmer_. You combine the signs for farm and person. You take your hand, starting at the left side of your face. Then you move it to the right, palm outwards. Take both hands, palms facing sideways towards each other, and draw them straight down.

" ** _Uncle_** Jamie is'a **_farmer_**!" Jenny sings as she and Dawn skip back to the house. " ** _Uncle_** Jamie is'a **_farmer_** , a **_farmer_** , a **_farmer_**. **_Uncle_** Jaime is a **_farmer_**."

" _ **U'cle**_ James is'a _**farmer**_! _**U'cle**_ James is'a _**farmer**_ , a _**farmer**_ , a _**farmer**_!" Dawn copies. Emily smiles at the two, glad that Jenny has a new best friend that knows _exactly_ what it feels like to have what they have.

* * *

 **So, here's a filler chapter. Once I get 5 (or more) reviews, I'll put the next chapter up.**

 **I hope you like the little learning moments Emily has with Jenny. And this is also the beginning of introducing of Emily's cousins. She has a very large family.**

 **Please review! Give me prompts if you would like to read something extra-special! :)**

* * *

 ** _Although Michael and Sandy notice Jenny's weird behavior, they don't usually question it. They only notice that she is weird when Sandy wants to take her pants off or when Michael is getting her ready for bath time. Jenny is normally reluctant to cooperate._**

 ** _However, Sandy and Michael put it off as Jenny growing up, because four years old is normally the age of independence; when they want to pick their own clothes and get dressed by themselves. Sandy and Michael are completely convinced that is the only reason why Jenny is hesitant to be alone – unclothed – with her parents._**


	18. Life-Changing Diagnosis

_**Life-Changing Diagnosis**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 71.1** **°F** **  
Low Temp.: 57** **°F**  
 **Precipitation: 0 inches (rain/drizzle)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or its characters. I do own** _ **all**_ **characters you do not recognize.  
Spoilers: None as of yet.  
Rating: K+ to mid-T.**

 **Reply to reviews (chapter 17):**

 **Guest** **: Hi! Thanks for the review. Yes, we will find out what Jenny has in this chapter.**

 **kpop1392as** **: Thank you! :) Yes, I figured with what's going to happen to in the future, it would be good that she knew it and is able to pick up on it quickly.**

 **Hipiechic82** **: Yes, JJ and Emily both live on a farm. They have animals they take care of and all that stuff. Thanks for the review. :)**

 **Kensi1997** **: Thank you for the review. It'll be a while before anyone figures it out, and then decides to stop denying. Hang in there! :)**

* * *

 _ **Friday, Nov. 12th, 1982**_

* * *

 ** _*Emily's house*_**

Saturday, Emily sits in the kitchen looking thoughtful. During the past couple of months that she has been in the seventh grade, she and Elijah have walked home together. Because of this, Emily has often stopped at the preschool, elementary, and middle school campuses with Elijah so he could pick up Rosaline and JJ.

The elementary and middle buildings are together on one big campus since they are both small enough. The preschool is actually just down the road and around the block, so Emily goes there since she has permission (b/c she has cousins who go there), while Elijah goes to get Rosaline.

Emily has noticed that the preschooler has been repeatedly sitting at the lunch tables in the room or the teacher is talking to her. This seems to happen every so often, and it's often enough in the last two months since school started, that it worries Emily because Jenny has always been one to follow directions.

Sure, she's stubborn and she definitely likes getting her way. Nevertheless, she always works to get the things she wants. She gets stuck on an idea or wanting a toy, and works at it endlessly until she is able to get it.

Emily just doesn't know what to do about JJ getting into trouble. Elijah always asks Jenny why she is in timeout. He knows himself that his baby sister does not act out. He knows she has always done as told and even offers to help her teacher as well as a four-year-old can.

So, like Emily, he gets worried when he comes into the room and finds his baby sister sitting in time-out while the other kids are playing in the centers or are finishing up with their snacks.

James walks in and over to the coffee maker.

"Hey, Em," He greets. "What's the matter?" Emily just shakes her head. She still doesn't know if she should say anything regarding the way JJ speaks and sometimes reacts to certain things.

"I think there's something…wrong...with Jenny," She says finally. When her dad tilts his head to the side, she shakes her own. "Not like wrong-wrong," Emily sighs. "Just like…I don't know. Jenny has been acting weird lately and it's beginning to remind me of how Aubrey acted a couple of years ago."

James looks thoughtful at this. He takes his cup and sits at the table with Emily. "How exactly has she been acting like Aubrey? What has she done that makes you think of her?"

Emily takes a deep breath. "Okay. Well, when I first met her this summer, I thought she was mispronouncing words and just doing certain things because, you know, that's what a three-year-old does." She starts and James nods encouragingly. "But then later in June, on Rosa's birthday, we were making do-it-yourself aprons and I was helping Jenny with hers."

James nods once again. "I remember that. You two made lovely aprons. But I know that's not the point, so go on."

"Well, when we were making her apron, Jenny wanted me to draw some butterflies on hers. She picked out some colors and as I was making them, I would ask if she knew the colors. I think the first one was blue." Emily glances up at her dad.

"She hardly knew any of the colors. I talked with Sandy and she said she wasn't sure why that was because both Rosaline and Elijah knew almost all of their colors when they were three," Emily pauses and takes a deep breath. "So, I've been working with her, teaching the colors and her letters, and so has Sandy. I know that Jenny remembers the colors blue, yellow, red, green and pink. She knows the letters of her name and she knows how to spell 'mommy' 'daddy' and 'Emmy'."

"But she doesn't know much more than that." Emily pauses and looks at James. He looks thoughtful for a moment, and then says,

"Well, it seems as though something is going on. However, this could be normal for a four-year-old – some take longer to memorize those things – and that's all. So tell me a little more of the things she does that remind you of Andie, then we will decide if we should talk to Sandy and Michael. Okay?"

Emily nods and thinks hard about the other things besides not being able to memorize her colors, letters, or numbers. There are quite a few things; not being able to pronounce words that should be a piece of cake for a four-year-old, not being able to rhyme simple words, not being able to follow multi-step directions, even east two-step ones, etc.

She decides to start with the 'following directions' thought. "Well, I've also noticed that she doesn't really follow directions very well. When Elijah and I go to the preschool to pick her up, a lot of the time she is sitting at the tables in 'timeout' and when I ask the teacher what happened, they just say, 'she didn't obey the instructions given'."

Emily takes a breath. She really doesn't like that it seems as though her teachers are not giving her a chance. They are probably telling her to do several things at once and, without realizing this confuses her, are getting upset and then putting her in time-out.

Emily continues with her story, "She needs to be told multiple times to do something. I have tried telling her one at a time, 'get your jacket; good, now, get your shoes' and it works great just like with Aubrey. Jenny only knows a few of her colors, the ones I have gone over with her and the ones her mom has gone over. When I ask her if she wants to sing the ABCs or 123s, she tries her very hardest but she just can't do it."

"I don't know what to do about it, Dad," Emily says with sadness in her voice. "I see how she feels when on the days she is playing and not in timeout, the other kids aren't with her. I ask her why she was playing alone, and she says, "They say I'm dumb and they don't like me". The look on her face when she says this, it breaks my heart and I have no idea what I can do to help her."

James sighs as he looks at his only child. He sees the sadness on her face, knowing there isn't anything to do, especially if Jenny parents pass it off as 'normal'. And from what Emily is telling him, it does seem as though Jenny is showing earlier signs of what his niece Aubrey showed about two years ago.

"Okay, here is what I want you to do. I want you to continue going over to the Jareaus'. Help Jenny with learning her colors, make-up songs that will help her with the ABCs and numbers, do what you've been doing, okay?" Emily nods hesitantly, not knowing where James is going with this.

"And, in the meantime, I will check her out at her next doctor's appointment, all right? I'll ask the basic 'how-is-preschool-going' questions. And if Sandy or Michael, or whoever has brought her, is concerned enough about her not knowing those things, then I will talk to them about it. Okay?"

"Okay," Emily whispers. "Thank you, Daddy."

"No problem, sweetheart. Now, you run along and go do whatever it is that you do, okay?" Emily nods again and then leaves the kitchen. She goes upstairs and begins getting ready to go to the movies with her cousins Benson and his little brother and sister, Calvin and Annie.

* * *

 ** _* A few days later. Doctor's Office Waiting Room*_**

A few days later, on Tuesday, Jenny, Sandy, and Michael sit in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Jenny is on the floor with her special sign language cards spread out in front of her. She loves looking at the colorful cards that Emily made her.

So far, she knows all the "baby beginner" signs. Family signs and signs for the home. The kitchen is: all done/more, eat, cereal, juice, cracker, etc., house: bath, bed, sleep, teddy, potty, etc., manners: please/thank-you, no/yes, etc., and some signs that go with a farm. She can read the signs 'How are you' and 'What do you want to do?'.

She is currently working on 'Nana' and 'Grampa' so she can show her grandparents the hard work she has been doing.

" ** _Mamma_** , wah!" Jenny says as she looks at her mom. _Mamma, watch!_

She makes the sign **_Nana_** and then waits for the confirmation that she did it correctly. Sandy glances down at the card and smiles at the little girl.

"That's right, baby. That is the sign for 'Nana'. Good job, sweetheart." After looking through the cards a little bit more, they are called back to a room.

Since this is just a normal check-up, Sandy and Michael don't expect any problems with Jen. They know about her fear of strangers and not liking to be touched without her permission, but thankfully, the nurse that takes her temp., weight & height, and blood pressure is one they have had before, and she remembers to ask for Jen's permission to touch her each time.

The nurse then leads the three back to a room and informing them the doctor will be in soon. Jenny continues to look at flashcards while waiting for Dr. James to come back. Finally, the doctor walks in. "JJ, sweetheart, hand me your cards, okay?"

Jen does so and then smiles at James. She remembers him from going to Emily's house. " ** _Hi_** , Dr. James!" She says, signing a bit.

" ** _Hello, JJ_** ** _._** " He answers and Jenny beams at him. " ** _How are you_**?"

" ** _Good_**!" Jenny signs back. She loves that she is able to do sign language, especially when she gets to show other people how good she is at it.

"That's wonderful. I'm very glad." James turns to Sandy and Michael to greet them. "How you today, Mr. and Mrs. Jareau?"

"Well, we're not doing so well," Sandy says and James thinks he has an idea of what this visit is about since Jen already had her four-year well check and received her shots then. Instead of saying anything about what he knows, he decides to ask the simple questions first.

"Well, what seems to be the problem?" James asks, taking a seat on his stool. He sees Michael and Sandy share a look and glances down at the preschool who is still fascinated with the cards on the exam table.

Sandy takes a deep breath. "Well, JJ seems to be…behind in school. She just…she just doesn't seem to be on track with the other kids with several things." James nods and thinks for a moment.

"Okay, well what kind of things is she behind in? If you could just give me a starting point, then I'll see what is going on."

"Well, I-…" Sandy trails off and looks as if she is trying to figure out how to word what she wants to say. "JJ doesn't know hardly _anything_ ," Sandy says, lowing her voice and looking as if it pains her greatly just to get the words out.

"Her school held her back to the preschool room (3/4-year-old) instead of letting her go to the pre-kindergarten room (4/5-year-old)."

Sandy takes a deep breath, her eyes flickering between James and JJ who is practicing her sign language, oblivious to everything. Michael reaches over and grabs his wife's hand, giving it a supportive squeeze.

"We just want to figure out what's going on." He says as calmly as he can manage and James sympathizes with him. "We want to get her help. We want her to be able to have friends, other than Emily, who are her own age, and so she won't continue to get in trouble at school. We…" He sighs and looks over at JJ who is preoccupied with the sign language cards again.

"We just want to make her life easier and, right now, it isn't. With the-the trouble she is having with her letters, numbers, (etc.) and not being able to follow directions. And it's not because she's a troubled child. In fact, out of all of our family members, she is the most behaved 4-year-old yet. So, we just wanted your opinion on what is going on. Can you help us with that, James?"

James gives them a gentle smile. He was right; Michael and Sandy had noticed it too. "Of course I can. Let me ask JJ a few questions, then, based on how well she answers them, I can talk with a colleague of mine, and we'll have you guys some answers very soon." Sandy and Michael nod at that, and James gets to work.

He asks the basic questions; 'can you sing me the ABCs'? '123s'? 'what word rhymes with cat?' 'what color is this'? As she is answering, giving limited numbers and letters, and having difficulties with rhyming, James is beginning to see more and more similarities to Aubrey. He knows Sandy and Michael, and he knows they are wonderful people. He knows that JJ knowing only a limited amount of this stuff is not because they are neglectful.

This he is absolutely, 100% sure of.

So, he excuses himself, going and getting his college David Smith. David works especially with kids who have the same problems as JJ.

He brings Dave in and he asks JJ the same questions, just in a different order and with variety. 'ABCs, 123s' 'What rhymes with hat'? 'What color are your eyes, your mommy's eyes, your shirt, my coat, Mr. James' jacket?'

He makes it a game, where JJ is giggling and having fun and doesn't know that the results of this 'game' are going to determine how she learns and gets along in life.

He sighs and shares a look with James. Based on the answers, he figures that JJ has a harder time remembering her letters and numbers, she has difficulty with processing words that rhyme, she mixes up simple words like 'bay' for 'day' or 'neam' for 'mean' and she struggles with finding the right words sometimes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jareau, I am Dr. David Smith. I specialize in children with learning difficulties…I don't like to use the word 'disability' unless it is absolutely necessary." He shakes hands with Sandy and Michael, leaving them confused. Learning difficulties?

"Uh…excuse me, but what do you mean, 'learning difficulties'? JJ doesn't have any disabilities." Michael says as he glances at his youngest daughter.

"Sir, I'm afraid there is no easy way to say this, so I am just going to say it. It appears that your daughter, Jennifer, has Dyslexia. It is a learning disability that affects a person's ability to read or write and, in JJ's case, it affects her ability to memorize her numbers, letters, colors, (etc.), her ability to process words that rhyme such as 'cat' and 'hat', and it causes her to mix up the simple words, words that have similar letters in them, for example, 'b' and 'd', or ''m' and 'w'."

Sandy shakes her head, cutting the doctor off. "I'm sorry, sir, but there is no way our daughter has some-some learning disability. She just needs to focus more and then she can "memorize" her letters and numbers, and if she would pay attention in her class, she'd be able to "process" words that rhyme."

David sighs. He understands the look on Sandy Jareau's face. It's the same look he gets on several of his patients' parents' faces, whether it be when he tells them their child has Dyslexia, Autism, ADHD, or some other thing that will greatly impact their ability to learn and function "normally". It's always the same:

 _Denial_.

Plain and simple.

After trying to discuss it a little more, David realizes it's no use. Michael and Sandy need to come to terms with this diagnosis on their own. Then, and _only_ then, can they begin to help Jenny understand and deal with it.

Sandy and Michael thank James and David for their help and then they leave. JJ asks for ice cream and they stop for it on the way. Then they go to the park, to let Jenny run off some of her energy.

* * *

"What do you think we should do, Michael?" Sandy asks her husband as they watch their daughter. "There's no way Jennifer could have a _learning disability_. _Right_?"

Michael just shakes his head. He'd like to think that JJ just needs to focus more when they are teaching her the letters and numbers. Or maybe they need to start correcting her more when she mispronounces a word, and that will help her with her speech.

Maybe she isn't paying attention when her teacher is practicing 'rhyme time' in class. This is when the kids sing a song about rhyming. 'What rhymes with cat? Hat! What rhymes with hat? Bat!' and so on.

"I don't know, baby." Michael whispers. "I really don't know. But do you want to chance it? Do you want her to continue on with her life the way it is? I mean, don't get me wrong, honey, I don't want to believe it either. I want to think that she needs to just focus more in class, or to focus on learning her letters and numbers and stuff, an-and that she-she needs to be corrected on her speech."

"But, honey, I don't think that's it. I think it's time we realize that Jennifer's problems have a name, and that name is…is Dyslexia." Sandy sighs and looks from her husband to her youngest daughter who is still playing, and gets lost in her thoughts.

It is there, while they sit on the park bench and watch Jenny as she runs around with the amount of energy that only four-year-olds seem to possess, that they come to terms with it.

Their daughter, sweet, innocent little Jennifer does, in fact, have a learning disability. And they realize that they are going to have to work long and hard to make sure she has at least a halfway normal life.

And they realize that today, they were given a truly life-changing diagnosis.

* * *

 **So here it is! You guys finally know what's going on with Jenny and why she's mixing words up, and having trouble memorizing her letters and numbers. Wow! 60 reviews for under 20 chapters. That's amazing! Thank you guys so much! :)**

 **Please review and let me know what you think! What would you guys like to see in the future? A day at the park, the zoo, a picnic, etc. Let me know!**

 **Next Up:** _ **Thanksgiving**_ **. – Jen and her family celebrate their first Thanksgiving since Jen's diagnosis of Dyslexia.**

* * *

 ** _With Rosaline and Elijah, when the two babysit Jenny in the afternoons, they notice that she is very quiet. She always seems to be watching their every move, and constantly slips away, most likely to the bathroom, when their backs are turned._**

 ** _They notice she has 'weird' words for people's private parts, 'vagina' or 'penis', but put it off as Emily teaching her about the 'good' places and the 'bad' places for people to touch. They have trouble with her wanting to take a bath a night. Because she is so young, she cannot stay in the bathroom alone, but Jenny refuses to take her clothes off unless they are outside the bathroom door, (with the door shut)._**

 ** _It's mostly been Elijah that tells this to Sandy and Michael, but they brush it off as Jenny is a little girl, who is growing up and wanting privacy from her big brother. After all, Rosaline was the same way, around the same age. Rosaline doesn't think anything of it, remembering that she was the same way, but she can't remember why she was that way._**


	19. Thanksgiving (1988)

_**Thanksgiving (1982)**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 39.9** **°F** **  
Low Temp.: 19** **°F**  
 **Precipitation: 0 inches**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. I do own all Emily and JJ's families, not including Rosaline and Sandy Jareau.  
Spoilers: None  
Rating: K+. A nice, fluffy, family-friendly chapter.**

 **A/N: This first part is going to be a short summary of the last chapter. Emily came over and explained to Michael and Sandy what dyslexia is and how it will affect Jenny and their lives.**

 **Big kids: 10-12 years old (5 & 7 grade)  
Little kids: 3-5 years old (daycare, preschool, kinder.)**

* * *

The day that Jenny was diagnosed with dyslexia, Emily comes over to help them better understand it. A few her cousins have dyslexia, so she knows all about it. It's part of the reason Jenny was held back a room in preschool.

Dyslexia is a disorder that affects the ability to read and the ability to correctly understand what she's read, her speech, and the ability to recognize/memorize her colors, shapes, etc., even the small amount a 4-year-old is supposed to know. It makes Jenny unable to recognize her letters and numbers, and it'll affect her in math class later on in her elementary school years.

To JJ, the letters that are similar, like "m" & "n", "d" & "b", 'p' & 'q' or even 'm' & 'w', get mixed up in her reading and speech. For example, "lawnmower", would become "mawnlower". When compared to her other classmates, JJ's vocabulary is significantly smaller.

When their teacher does "rhyme time" in class, Jenny cannot participate because she is unable to process what does and does not rhyme together. Her mind just does not understand how words like 'h-a-t' can rhyme with a word like 'c-a-t' or 'b-a-t'.

Now that they think about it, Michael and Sandy realize that this makes sense. Whenever Jenny is upset, she can't talk because she has a hard time finding the words she wants to say, or she gets overwhelmed and can't pronounce the words correctly. And that just results in her being even more upset.

Overall, Michael and Sandy realize that their life is going to be very difficult. She'll have trouble with speaking and writing; she won't be able to process the stuff she learns at a normal rate and comprehending what she's hearing in class will be difficult.

The Jareau family will have to be patient with Jenny from here on out. They can no longer brush off her difficulties at school as her not listening or paying attention, and if any of the twins show similar signs of this, they'll know to get help, even if the older kids show the signs because dyslexia can be hidden all the way into high school.

* * *

 _ **Thanksgiving  
Thursday, Nov. 25**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 1982**_

* * *

Around noon on Thanksgiving, the rest of the Jareau family shows up for lunch. Sandy, Michael, and James decided that they would have lunch with their own families, but Jenny could come over to Emily's house for a dinner of leftovers.

It's a hectic time, with three preteens who don't want to be bothered by all the 'babies' in the house, and five children under the age of ten. The little kids are all hyper from their routine being disrupted and having three days off from school.

"You can't get me!" Eliza squeals as she runs through the kitchen to the living room. She has everyone following her, laughter and giggles filling the room.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Michael calls out to the group. "You girls need to calm down. JJ, that means you, too, okay, Peanut? It's almost lunchtime and you guys don't want to mess your pretty clothes up, do you?"

"No, Uncle Michael!" Elizabeth answers. She turns to her cousin. "Come on, Jenny. Let's go color a pretty picture!" Elizabeth and Jenny go over to the art cove just under the stairs where the kids also eat during family dinners like this one. Elizabeth's sister and baby cousins follow them over.

The girls spend the next half-hour coloring pictures of fall things like leaves, pumpkins, and baskets of apples, and Thanksgiving pictures. Elizabeth decides to have some fun. "Jenny, do you know what the sign for this is?" She points to the page, which has a picture of a turkey on it. Jenny nods eagerly.

She makes the sign, saying, " ** _Turkey_**! **_Gobble_** , **_gobble_** , **_gobble_**!" She grins.

"Yes! Good, Jenny!" Elizabeth claps, as does Lee-Lee and Nattie.

"Yay, Jenny!" Leslie cheers.

"Okay, now, do you know what the sign for this is?" Maggie asks next, pointing to a pile of colorful leaves she has colored.

"Uh-huh!" JJ nods eagerly. "Dat's'uh **_leaf_**!"

"Yes! Good job, Jenny! You got it right."

JJ frowns, remembering that only Emily calls her that. Her mom and dad don't call her Jenny, as she asked them not too, and they had her bubby and sissy stop doing it too. She shakes her head, "No, Jemmy."

Elizabeth looks confused for a moment, not understanding what her cousin is saying. "What do you mean? Jenny is your name."

JJ shakes her head again. "No, I not Jemmy." Maggie tilts her head to the side this time.

"But your name is Jenny. It's Jennifer Jareau, and we call you 'Jenny'." She says, also confused.

JJ sighs. She tries to think of a way to tell her cousins that she doesn't want to be called 'Jenny'. She can't think of a way, though, and begins to get frustrated. Usually, after one or two attempts, Emily understands what she's trying to say, and they can move on to a different topic without lingering too long on one or another.

She sighs and shakes her head again. "No, I not Jemmy." Elizabeth is confused and starting to get irritated. Why would her cousin insist her name is not Jenny when that's what everyone has been calling her since the day she was born?

Just as she's about to protest again, her older cousin Rosaline comes through the living room. She, Maddie, and Elijah have been given permission to hang out upstairs for some 'alone time', before joining the rest of the family downstairs for lunch.

"Rosie!" Elizabeth shouts, getting her attention. The older girl comes over to them, asking what's wrong.

"She says her name isn't Jenny!" Margaret says, pointing to JJ. "Tell'er she's wrong, Rosie. This _is_ her name, it's what we call her."

Rosaline sighs as she realizes what's happened. JJ had told her parents, who in turn told Elijah and Rosaline, that she wanted to be 'JJ' because she's started to only like Emily to call her Jennifer or Jenny.

"I guess your mom and dad didn't tell you guys. Maggie, Jenny told Uncle Michael and Aunt Sandy that she wants to be called by the initials of her name, which are JJ. She doesn't want to be called Jenny by us anymore, okay?"

"Oh, ok." Elizabeth smiles. "Then we'll call you JJ. Do you want to go upstairs and play with your Barbies?" JJ looks at Rosa for confirmation.

"Do you want to play with your Barbie dolls, JJ?" Rosaline asks. She remembers that Emily told her to make the sentences or questions as plain and simple as possible. That way JJ will know what was said to her or what was asked of her. JJ nods eagerly.

"Yes, p'eaze!"

* * *

Lunch comes quickly for the Jareau and Scott clan. In between eating, the adults go around and ask the kids what they are thankful for.

The answers vary from the usual 'friends and family' and 'our food and home', to others such as 'my friends and my teacher, Mr./Ms. -' to the very odd, 'my princess and Scooby-Doo movies'.

Once the kids are finished with their lunch, all kids under the age of 10 helped clear the table and then go to the living to play, while those _over_ the age of 10 start washing, drying, and putting the dishes up.

Once that is finished, the adults clear the table of everything but the leftovers, not putting them up because everyone likes to go in and out of the kitchen between lunch and dinnertime, snaking on the leftovers.

Because the young ones are tired and cranky form their messed-up sleep schedule over the last few days, they are sent upstairs for naptime. Jenny gets to go over to Emily's house, where she takes a nap before getting to play with Emily's cousins.

All in all, JJ's first Thanksgiving, both after being diagnosed with dyslexia and her first time with Emily has been plentiful in fun and learning.

* * *

 **So, here is the next chapter. I realize this was much of Thanksgiving-y chapter, and I'm sorry if it seems rushed at the end, I guess it more of a filler chapter than anything. Review and let me know what you think! :)**

 **I made sure to let everyone know what dyslexia is, so you guys can see just how it will affect JJ and everyone around her. She's going to have a tough life ahead of her, but with everyone helping out, she will get through it.**

 **Next Up:** _ **Something Unexpected**_ **.**

* * *

 ** _Furthermore, Jenny insists on being independent. Getting dressed and picking clothes out. Eating by herself and pouring her own drinks, or making her bed by herself. Her mom allows her the choice of two outfits; three shirts and two pairs of pants or shorts._**

 ** _Jenny is allowed to use a regular cup with a lid at dinner or lunch time; she only gets a sippy cup in the car or to carry around the house. She is also allowed to use "kid" utensils, and is learning how to properly hold a fork and cut pieces of her food, (with a dull, butter knife and adult supervision)._**


	20. Something Unexpected

_**Something No One Expected**_

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 46.9** **°F** **  
Low Temp.: 42.1** **°F**  
 **Precipitation: 0 inches (fog, rain/drizzle)**

 **S** **houtout to** ** _Kensi1997_** **. She gave the inspiration to this chapter.**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters. I own Emily/JJ's extended family.  
Spoilers: None as of yet.  
Rating: T**

 **Note: I decided to put this chapter up in place of** ** _Christmas pt. 1_** **. You are all going to get a big shock out of this, but it was needed because of what Jackson said a few chapters back.**

* * *

 _ **Tuesday, December 15**_ _ **th, 1982**_

* * *

 ** _*Jareau Residence*_**

It's just a few days before Christmas break. The little kids are at school today, and Sandy, Maria, and Amber are going to surprise them for lunch when they pick everyone up. They will then pick up Elijah, Rosaline, and Madeline from middle school.

Right now, Michael and Jackson are at Sandy and Mic's house, having 'guy time'. Caleb is at work and couldn't make the hangout this time. During a commercial break when the two men are getting more beers, Jackson sees this as the perfect time to talk to Michael about his troubles with JJ the last few months.

"Hey, Mic, listen, I need to speak to you about JJ." Michael mutes the TV, turning towards his younger brother. He was wondering when Jack was going to bring up his recent troubles at his house with JJ.

"Okay, shoot."

"I think you need to have another conversation about who is the boss with her. That brat Emily is starting to cause her to act up. She's being a lot more defiant and she's making my tasks with her a lot harder than they should be."

Michael nods along, looking thoughtful. "Why don't you tell me some of the things she has done, or that you are having trouble with, and I will talk to her… _privately_."

"Well, for starters, she is a terrible nuisance during her bathtime. She refuses to get undressed, and when she does, she wants to be covered up by a towel. She doesn't want me in the bathroom with her, and she won't allow me to wash her body."

A pause, and then, "And, she also refuses to let me dress her. You know, Amber and I, we still help the twins to get dressed. They are just too young to do so on their own. They goof off or play around, and then cause us to be late for school or wherever else we are going." Jackson sighs. He tries to think of anything else, and then adds,

"Also, one more thing, JJ refuses to use the utensils we give her at dinner time. She throws temper tantrums and demands we give her different ones. When she is placed in timeout, she throws the awfullest temper tantrums there, too. She kicks and screams, and absolutely refuses to just sit still. We have threatened her with everything, an earlier bedtime, no dessert, no playtime, but nothing works."

"I'm telling you, Mic, you need to get a handle on your kid. You know, Rosa and Maddie, when they were they that age, they were so behaved. Of course, Maddie knew what would happen if she acted out. We received compliments all the time about how well behaved she was. And the twins, they are so well behaved also. You just need to put your foot down, and make sure _JJ_ knows what will happen if she continues to act out."

Michael nods, once again looking thoughtful. "Okay. Well, Sandy and I have spoken to her about those things. We have told her that she is to listen to _everything_ you and Amber tell her to do. When she is taking a bath, she is to allow you wash her off. When she is getting dressed, you are to be the one do it as Amber will be busy with her cousins. She keeps saying 'yes, sir, daddy' or 'okay, daddy', but I guess I will be speaking to her in private about these things."

"Tell me, Jack, what exactly are the tantrums about. Anything I need to speak to her about besides the eating utensils?"

"Yes, she is a bother to Madeline. The poor girl can't seem to get away from all the little girls because JJ is always bugging her. She wants Madeline to play with her, or she wants to sit next to her on the couch, or she wants to take her toys to Madeline's room instead of Natalie and Leslie's room. Amber and I have tried and tried and tried with her, but JJ refuses to listen to us when we instruct her to stay out of Maddie's room. That is one of the reasons she is put into timeout."

"And the poor girl, Maddie tries to stick up for her, but I've told her JJ has to learn one way or another. That is why JJ is put into timeout. She needs to learn her place, and her place is to be with the grown-ups, or in Natalie and Leslie's room. She is not to be going to her older cousin's room, or wandering around the house and getting into things."

Michael sighs like he's majorly disappointed. "I'm sorry, Jack, truly I am. You see, the twins and Maddie, they are little angels when they are over here. And Maddie, well she is off with Rosaline and JJ never seems to bother them. Although she has been going to Rosaline's room more often this past year or so. Now, when we ask her, JJ stays out of there. But more often than not, Rosaline sticks up for her, and that's that." He sighs deeply.

"I guess what I am trying to say is, we need to be more firm with JJ. We don't need to let Rosaline stick up for so often. I am afraid that may be the reason why she does it at your house; because Rosaline sticks up for her here, and that's that. We don't keep telling her, or put her in timeout for not listening, or anything like that."

"Yes, and that's exactly what I am saying, Mic. You need to be firm, show her who is the boss. If she is used to being in timeout here, for going and being a nuisance to Rosaline, then she will not act up so much at my house. I need to keep everyone in line. The twins and Madeline know their places, as does Amber. They know what they can and cannot do, and they know the consequences of each and everything they do wrong."

"Yes," Michael nods once more. "I guess we have been too lenient with things. Rosaline and Elijah, they are good kids. No trouble here or at school. I think you are right; we, and by we, I mean 'I' am going to have to buckle down, show JJ's who's boss and let her see there are going to be consequences to everything she does wrong. If she misbehaves, it needs to be dealt with. If she backtalks, she needs to reprimanded. Thank you, Jack, for opening my eyes up to all the problems you have been having with her."

Jackson smiles. To anyone else, it would be considered a purely bone-chilling, spine-tingling, evil smile. But, to Michael, it doesn't look any different than his own. Some people even say that Jack has his big brother's smile - their dad's smile.

"Thank you, Mic. I really do appreciate it. Now, I do have one last thing I want to discuss with you." A moment of silence, and then, something no one ever expected.

…

…

…

"Rosaline and Madeline are soon to be 11 years old. They will no longer be able to give the pleasure I need. But, I do not need them going and running their mouths. I have Madeline figured out, but do you have any suggestions as to what would keep Rosaline quiet?"

* * *

 **So! Here is the next chapter. Let me know what you thought! :)**

 **Are you surprised that Jackson asked Michael that question? What do you think it means? Do you think Michael is hurting any of the kids, or do you think he is simply a bystander in all of this?**

 **Next Up:** _ **Christmas pt. 1**_ **.**

* * *

 ** _When Emily is around, and Jackson is not, Jenny tries her best to be normal. She runs and plays, and likes to sit in Emily's lap for story time. Her favorite book, which Emily reads to her at night is Bedtime for Baby Star. It helps her sleep without any nightmares. Otherwise, they read Curious George, Dr. Seuss, Please and Thank You, Find Your ABC's, and many others that come from Emily's bookshelf._**

 **Their time together is spent at the park and in the backyard playing with Rosaline's borrowed soccer ball, at Emily's house in the kitchen, baking cookies or making simple dinners like spaghetti, lasagna, and other things. Or learning Spanish, French or sign language, all of which Emily teaches her. They also enjoy playing other "little kid" things; Barbies, tag, make-believe, etc. Jenny has a big imagination, and that is a big and sometimes the only, perk of having Dyslexia.**

 **Emily is also, slowly but surely, teaching Jenny how to control her emotions. Because of her dyslexia, her ability to communicate, whether it be with words (what she does or does not want), her emotions (happy, sad, mad, etc.), or how she is feeling (sick, hungry), is severely impaired. She often can't read facial expressions, realize whether someone is teasing her, or understand jokes and sarcasm. This is why Emily is working with her to be able to express herself through sign language, Spanish and/French.**


	21. Christmas (1988) pt 1

**_Christmas 1982, Part 1 of 2_**

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 36** **°F** **  
Low Temp.: 18** **°F**  
 **Precipitation: 0 inches (fog)**

 **Reply to reviews (chapter 19):**

 **Kensi1997:** **Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked it, and I will try not to take so long with updating in the future. :) I'm glad I was able to make it clear that JJ has dyslexia. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through with it or not, but I'm glad I did! :)**

 **Zhangxinna:** **Hi! I think you might be new, so welcome to the story. The sign language was something I wanted to do from the very beginning because it will help in the future when things get tough to say with words. I will definitely look into doing Braille, though. :)**

 **Kpop1392as:** **Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter. :) JJ is going to have a very tough life ahead of her due to her Dyslexia, but she'll have her siblings, Emily, and all of Emily's cousins who also have dyslexia helping her out, and she will learn to keep trying to do her best on things. :)**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. I do own both Emily and JJ's extended families, and any other characters you do not recognize.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: K+**

 **Big kids: 10-12 years old.  
Little kids: 3-5 years old.**

* * *

 _ **Saturday, Dec. 18**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 1982**_

* * *

 ** _*Jareau house*_**

"All right, everyone, listen up!" Sandy calls out. She and Michael have invited everyone over to explain to the kids how they are going to spend Christmas. "Now, I want everyone to be good and listen. After the adults and I finish saying what needs to be said, then you can you can questions if you have any. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone gives a murmured agreement, except for Jenny who is playing with her Barbie dolls. "Aunt Sandy! Jenny isn't listening." Maggie says, not quiet tattling, but just making it known. Sandy nods, as Rosaline pipes up with an explanation.

"That's because Emily has already talked to her about what Aunt Sandy is going to tell us. She just wanted to be down here with everyone instead of up in her room alone."

"Oh, okay! Then yes, I understand!"

"Good. Now, on to what needs to be discussed. This year we have decided to celebrate Christmas with Emily Prentiss' family." Sandy begins. "She has a lot of cousins, aunts, and uncles, some of whom will be coming to visit for the holidays.

She then turns to Michael and lets him continue. "Because we have decided to spend Christmas with her family, my friend David has been kind enough to loan us the community center. We are going to be having Christmas Eve dinner with our individual families, and then spend Christmas day at the center with Emily and her family."

The adults continue to explain, telling them they'll take a tree and decorations over early, and everyone can help with it. Then it moves on to who is going to be helping where; little kids will be in charge of making ornaments because they will not bring over very many from the house. And the older kids will be in charge of helping in the kitchen; preparing the pies, helping with getting the tables set with the appropriate plates and silverware, etc.

"Does everyone understand so far?" Sandy asks. Again, everyone gives a murmured agreement, so the adults decide to move on to the questions. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Hands shoot up across the room. "What if the older kids want to make ornaments too?" Rosaline asks.

"Yes, once everything has calmed down, you will be able to switch. The older kids can go make ornaments, and the little kids can help cook. Any more questions?"

There's, "Are there gonna be any guys to hand out with?" from Elijah, and, "what kids for us to play with, Aunt Sandy? Are there gonna be any 5-year-olds for us to play with?" from Maggie.

"Yes, Emily does have teenage cousins for you to hand out with, Eli. The same for you, Maggie. There are going to be plenty of kids of all ages for everyone to play with or hang out with."

It goes on like this for the next few minutes. Finally, everyone is satisfied with the information, and they begin to eagerly get ready to help load up and take the tree and decorations over to the community center early.

* * *

 **Here it is. Extremely short as I have hit a roadblock with this story. This story may be on a break unless I can get to writing again. Please review, let me know what you thought. Let me know if there's anything specific you want to see.**

 **Just a heads up, there is a poll in my profile. Maddie, Natalie, and Leslie will be receiving a baby brother, and I want to know what you guys want his name to be. So, go to my profile and choose one of the names. More details about the poll and how long it will be up are over there.**

 ** _However, when she is at Amber and Jack's house, JJ is constantly being robbed of her independence. She can't get dressed by herself or have privacy to get unclothed. and Jack won't let her pour her own drinks or use regular utensils. He insists that she needs to use 'toddler' forks and spoons and he claims that she is not capable of using a normal cup, instead, forcing her to use a sippy cup that is more like a bottle_** **.**

 ** _He also insists that Amber lay out her clothes, Jen getting absolutely no say in it. And all this does is confuse and upset her. She feels as if her own opinions are not important or don't matter. She never knows when she'll get in trouble, what she will or won't be able to do by herself, or how many times in a row she'll be allowed to do it before the ability is ripped away_** **.**


	22. Emily's Cousins

**This is simply a guide to who the extra kids are. These are Emily's cousins, their ages, what they will refer to as, and their last names.**

 **This is for chapter 22 of BFF (v2), which is part 2 of the Christmas chapters.**

 **I will be portraying quite a few learning difficulties like Dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD. There will also be a few characters from time to time that will be on the ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Please, I do not mean to offend anyone when I am writing these characters. I am writing from personal experience and from my research.**

 **If I do offend or misrepresent this or any other learning disability/disorder, please kindly let me know through a PM or reviewing, and I will work with you to better represent the information.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23:**

 _ **Martin-Benson:**_

 **Stephanie Rose Martin-Benson: 12 years old. "Steph"**

Steph is Tony's younger twin sister. She has blonde hair, brown eyes, and freckles on her nose and cheeks. Steph does well in school and plays on the basketball team. Steph has just received the privilege of going shopping with her friends alone at the mall. She has an outgoing personality and is very protective of her friends and family. She likes to hang out with her younger cousins and with Emily. Steph is happy about being an older sister again.

 **Anthony Richard Martin-Benson 12 years old. "Tony"**

Tony is Steph's older twin brother. He has brown hair and hazel eyes. He is taller than Steph by about 3 inches. He and Steph are exact opposites. Tony is the troublemaker of the family, always goofing off in class. He hates doing homework and chores and loves playing video games. Tony adores his younger cousins and little sister. He is excited about the arrival of his baby sister in May.

 **Aubrey Kate Martin-Benson: 9 years old. "Bree"**

Bree is currently the baby of the Martin-Benson family. She will become a big sister in May of next year (1983). Bree does well in school but struggles with reading and math because of her dyslexia. She is learning sign language with JJ and some of her cousins. Aubrey wants to play on the basketball team like Steph and is joining next year in 5th grade. Bree loves hanging with her cousin Emily and Jennifer Jareau.

 _ **Louise-Benson:**_

 **Alyson Jane Louise-Benson: 9 years old. "Aly"**

Alyson is Lauren's mirror-image twin. Alyson has dirty blonde hair and green eyes. She has freckles on her nose and cheeks. Her hair parts to the left, she is left-handed, and she has a birthmark on her left hip. She does well in school, is quiet and laid-back, and loves to read, draw and learn sign language with Dawn, Dakota and Emily's friend, JJ. Aly is a tomboy and likes to wear jeans and t-shirts. She also doesn't care for all the fancy clothes, leaving that to her sister Lauren.

 **Lauren Kate Louise-Benson: 9 years old. "Laur"**

Lauren looks so much like Alyson, that if her eyes weren't the bluest eyes ever, no one would be able to tell them apart. Lauren has freckles over her nose and cheeks, dirty-blonde hair that parts to the right and is right-handed. She has a birthmark on her right hip. Lauren also does well in school. Her favorite classes are art and music. She can most times be found in her room with Aly, drawing a large sheet of paper together or reading a book series together.

 _ **Johnston-Prentiss:**_

 **Dakota James Johnston-Prentiss- 3 years old. "DJ"**

As of right now, Dakota and Kaylee-Rose are the youngest, and third, set of twins in Emily's family of cousins. He has blonde and blue eyes, dimples and freckles. DJ was born a preemie and now has asthma, ADHD, and is non-verbal. Because of this, DJ is learning sign language and is being homeschooled with some of his other cousins at the Jareau Daycare Center. DJ loves all things boy; jumping in the mud, playing with his trucks, watching Scooby-Doo. He also adores JJ and hanging with the 'big kids', Emily and his older cousins.

 **Dawn Kaylee-Rose Johnston-Prentiss: 3 years old. "Kaylee-Rose"**

Kaylee-Rose has brown hair, brown eyes, and dimples. Since she was born a preemie, she has learning difficulties, such as ADHD and also has a lisp. She is being homeschooled at the Jareau Daycare Center. She also learns sign-language with Emily, JJ, her brother, Laur and Aly, and Aubrey. Dawn loves all things girly; princesses, purple, pink, and glittery colors, drawing and coloring, and having tea parties. She also loves going shopping and playing dress-up with Aly, Laur, and Aubrey.

 **Dianna Grace Johnston-Prentiss: 21 months old. "Di-Di"**

Dianna is a mix of looks between her older brother and sister. She has the same blonde hair as DJ, the same shade of brown eyes as Kaylee-Rose, and dimples in both cheeks. She is absolutely spoiled rotten and has an infectious giggle. Her favorite movies are Scooby-Doo and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She loves playing with her building blocks, "coloring" and being a mommy to her baby doll.

 _ **Colt:**_

 **David James Prentiss-Colt- 6 years old.**

David is a 6-year-old with Autism. Davie has brown hair and hazel eyes with dimples. He is currently at the Jareau Daycare Center being homeschooled because his parents felt this was best for him. David is prone to meltdowns when he has a sensory overload like too much noise or too many things going at once. David enjoys being around Emily and her older cousins. Some of his extended family feel as though his meltdowns as a disciplinary problem, so he does not enjoy being at family gatherings.

 **Daniella Rose Prentiss-Colt- "Dani" 20 years old.**

Dani is the baby of the Prentiss cousin family, being only one month to the day younger than her cousin Dianna. Dani looks just like her older brother. She has dirty-blonde hair, green eyes, and freckles. Dani is a giggly, happy little toddler. Her favorite words are 'cookie' and 'puppy', and she loves watching princess movies with her cousins. While Dani is a happy baby, she is starting to show signs of having Autism also. Her parents want to wait until they feel she is at an acceptable age to get tested.


	23. Christmas pt 2 (1988)

**_Christmas 1982, part 2 of 2_**

 **Updated: April 18th, 2018 Corrected grammar/spelling mistakes, etc. Also changed JJ's speech pattern.**

* * *

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 68**  
 **Low Temp.: 52** **°F** **  
Precipitation: 0 inches (drizzle) - no white Christmas -**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Criminal Minds or the characters. I do own all extra, non-CM characters in this chapter.  
Spoilers: None as of yet.  
Rating: K+**

 **Note: This chapter will have Emily and her thoughts on the things she has observed today and in the 7 months she has known the Jareau family. The last parts switch between JJ, Benson, and Emily's point of views.**

 **Also, please note that JJ is not going to be speaking in this chapter except for a few select times, because she does not like speaking in front of strangers, and will use only sign language to communicate with Emily.**

 **Words in** ** _bold, italic, and underline_** **are words spoken and signed.  
Words in ****_bold and italic_** **are sign language. – includes Jen's thoughts.  
Words in **_italic and underline_ **are words in Spanish.**

 ** _Fun Fact: This is the longest chapter in any of my 18 stories..._**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 _ **Christmas 1982  
Community Center**_

* * *

 ** _*Benson's point of view*_**

Today is Christmas Eve and I have been assigned the table where the kids that have learning disabilities or need a quiet area to work are. Then, later on today, we are going to celebrate my Uncle James' birthday. He is my cousin Emily's dad.

We have many cousins ranging in age from a toddler (Dianna, 20-months & Daniella, 21-months) to 12 years old. I am 16 years old and the second oldest out of all the kids. My brother, Harvey, is the oldest at 18 years old.

We also have two younger siblings. Calvin, he is 13 years old, and Annie, she is 7 years old. Dad wanted to try for a little girl, but mom said no more after Cal was born. Then, six years later, we were all given a surprise in the form of Annabeth, or Annie, our little princess.

The table where I am at is the table where the kids with learning disabilities are. They have things like ADHD, dyslexia, etc. and David who has Autism. The kids that are over here who are my family are:

My sister, 7-year-old Annie. She was born just shy of 23 weeks and was our miracle baby. She defied all those odds that said she would die young, before she turned five, and is now 7 years old. Our whole family is very thankful that she is with us today. She has asthma and a developmental and speech delay as well as being very small for her age.

Next, is 6-year-old David Prentiss-Colt. His mom and dad are my aunt Julia and my uncle Bruce. He likes to be called "Davie" and has Autism. Uncle Bruce and aunt Julia have to homeschool Davie and try their very best to help him. Davie is non-verbal and he uses sign language to communicate.

THen, my twin cousins, 3-year-old Dakota James "DJ" and Dawn. They were both born prematurely also, at 28 weeks. Dawn and DJ have asthma, but DJ is worse off and is allergic to almost everything, pet dander, dust, pollen, smoke, etc. They both have ADHD and DJ has a developmental delay. And they both need a little extra help with learning how to do things.

DJ is also non-verbal for the most part. He can say a few words but aunt Julia says he is on about an 18-month-old's level with his language development, so he uses sign language like Davie and like some of Em's friends from the Jareau family.

JJ's youngest cousins, Natalie and Leslie Jareau, are over here. I'm not sure if they have a learning disability but Emily said that Rosaline has told her that the twins have both "regressed" to a younger age. I didn't get any details, but from what I have seen, Natalie and Leslie act as if they are no older than two instead of 3 years old.

* * *

 ** _*With the big kids*_**

Everyone is taking a break from cooking in the kitchen or making ornaments. The adults have set up several tables and everyone is currently making gingerbread houses. The big kids have decided to do candy houses while the little kids have all agreed to do chocolate houses.

Everyone is here today. JJ's siblings and parents, her cousins, aunts, and uncles, along with Emily's mom and dad, and several of her aunts, uncles, and cousins.

It will be a big family get-together and a chance for Emily and Jennifer to get to know each other's extended family.

"Okay, everyone," Sandy claps her hands and ignores the unanimous eye-roll and groans she gets from the preteens and teenagers. "I have separated the decorations into this cupcake pan. It will be placed in the middle of the table. There will be two pans, enough for everyone to use. Please do not make a mess, and if you do, pick it up."

"Rosaline, Maddie, which candies are you going to use?" Emily's 9-year-old cousin, Aubrey Martin-Benson aka Bree, asks.

"I'm going to use gumdrops and these peppermints," Rosaline says. "What are you going to use?"

"I'm using these jelly beans. I'll make a rainbow house out of jelly beans only. Red for the roof, green and blue for the sides, and then purple for the walkway."

"I'm going to use just peppermints," Maddie chimes in. "Soft peppermints, hard peppermints, and the candy canes." The girls get to work. Everyone made their houses either earlier today or last night as they needed time for the icing to dry, and now the kids are decorating them.

Bree's 9-year-old twin cousins, Alyson and Lauren, come skipping over. They live a little further away and have arrived just in time to build and decorate their houses. "Hey, Bree! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Aly. Merry Christmas, Lauren!" Aubrey greets as the girls take their places at the table. "We're makin' gingerbread houses! You wanna help?"

"Sure!" Aly agrees. "Are we gonna do these and then have Uncle James' birthday party?" It turns out that, for the Prentiss family, Christmas Eve is an extra special day. Not only is it Christmas Eve but James' birthday also falls on the 24th.

"Yep! We're making our houses and then we'll have cake and ice cream tonight."

* * *

 ** _*With the little kids. Emily's point of view*_**

My cousins Benson, his older brother Harvey, and I are over here at a table separate from the other young kids.

It is because our cousins who are over here all have some kind of disability that keeps them from learning at a normal pace with other kids their age.

"All right, everyone," I stand at the head of the table with Benson and Harvey. "Are we ready to **_listen_**?" I use sign language so it is easier for Jen, Davie, and Dakota to understand. I get thumbs up from Davie and DJ, and a 'yes, Emmy' in sign language from Jen. That means they are listening and paying attention.

"We are going to be making gingerbread houses today!" Since everyone at this table is under the age of six, I play it up with extra enthusiasm like it is the best thing ever.

"Now, we first have to separate the pieces of the gingerbread houses. And while we are doing that, Benson, Harvey, and I will be teaching you all some Christmas sign language!"

"Yay!" This is Dawn. She claps her hands and cheers before turning to DJ. "'Kota! We're makin' gingerbread houses and learnin' sign language!" Her twin brother grins at her.

"That's right, Dawnie!" I smile at her. She loves the attention so much. She and DJ do not have many cousins their age. There are a few that are about 5 years old, but they have their own friends from preschool.

I look to Benson so he can take over. "All right, guys, listen up. We are going to split into groups. Davie, you are going to be working with me, okay, bud?" Davie gives Ben a huge smile. He is sitting at the end of the table in a kid-sized rocking chair. He loves the feeling of the motion it makes as it rocks back and forth.

"Okay, I'll take that as a yes," Ben holds out a hand and Davie gives him a high-five. "And next, Dawnie, you and DJ will be with Cousin Harvey, all right?"

"Okay, Ben!"

"And lastly, Miss Jenny," Aw, my little bug, 4-and-a-half-year-old Jennifer Jareau. She has been extra quiet today. I think seeing all these new people and kids when she doesn't like strangers, to begin with, might be a bit overwhelming for her.

"You are going to be working with Emmy and your cousins, Natalie and Leslie. Okay?"

" _ **'Kay**_ , Behme (Benny)!" Jenny smiles big at him. She is the only one to call him that. I think it is because it rhymes with Jenny, which is what he calls her. We break off into groups and spread out down the table.

* * *

 ** _*20 minutes later. Emily's point of view continued*_**

A little while later and we are done doing some math with the kids. Then, we teach them some sign language that has to do with Christmas. Harvey, Benson, and I have been showing the kids the shapes of the pieces that make up the gingerbread house.

I did _what shapes do you see_ , _how many pieces are there_ , and other things to help them learn more about the _how_ and _what_ goes into making the house. Then, we put the pieces together and decorated the house.

Since I am only 12 years old, dealing with JJ and then both of her cousins was hard. JJ has Dyslexia and needs a one-on-one person to work with her on projects like this. And she does not like strangers to be around her or to touch her, so I was the only one she wanted.

Since Natalie and Leslie have regressed to a younger age, they also need a one-on-one. They get distracted easily and would not listen. So, I asked for help.

I was expecting Sandy to send Rosaline or maybe Maddie over since she is Natalie and Leslie's older sister. But she didn't. She sent Mr. Jareau, their father.

I had JJ in my lap and Natalie and Leslie on each side of me. My left hand was on Natalie's back and I was helping JJ sort thru the pieces with my right.

And the weirdest thing happened. When Mr. Jareau came over, Natalie literally turned into a statue. Mr. Jareau put a chair on the left side of Natalie and then, without even being told to, Leslie moved over to sit by him also.

Natalie got really tense and her back straightened up against the chair. When Mr. Jareau sat down, she greeted him with, "Hello, Dad." It surprised me because I have never heard a three-year-old speak that clearly. Usually, they say "Hi, Daddy!" in their cute little 3-year-old voice.

Not only that, but when he would ask about the pieces of the house, the twins would respond with, "Yes, Dad, that is a triangle," or "Yes, Dad. There are four pieces here," or even, "Yes, I would like to use the gumdrops."

I found that weird because they are supposed to have regressed, and Rosaline said she overheard her mom saying that Natalie and Leslie have started sucking on their thumbs (something they quit doing 6 months before their third birthday) and they have started not sleeping through the night. Natalie and Leslie are also really clingy in the mornings when being dropped off at daycare.

I know that I should not have been talking with Rosaline about that. I don't think she was supposed to hear her mom say that. I told her she should not have eavesdropped and she said she would not do it next time, but just couldn't help it this time.

Anyway, while this was going on, I also noticed that JJ was really tense. Before Mr. Jareau came over, she was sitting in my lap. She was swinging her legs and letting me help her count the pieces of the gingerbread house. She was also smiling, giggling, and just being a regular 4-year-old.

But then Mr. Jareau came over. And if I thought noticing Natalie turning into a statue was easy, then feeling Jenny do the same was something only people across the room would miss.

She stopped swinging her legs back and forth. Her left hand, which held her sippy cup, went completely still. Her back straightened up against my chest, and I could feel just a general uneasiness throughout her whole body.

And that little note brings us to now…

"Jenny," I tap her on the shoulder to get her attention. She seems to have zoned out and is no longer interested in the gingerbread house.

I do not get a response. This worries me because, even though we are in his presence, Jen always answers me when we are around Mr. Jareau.

I decide to stand up and move away from him. Jenny is really starting to worry me. We stand up and that seems to jostle her out of whatever daze she was in. She turns to me and the look of fear in her eyes is just a bit too much for a four-and-a-half-year-old.

"Jen, let's go over here, okay?" I take her across the room, heading to where the hallway is. It has two bathrooms and leads to the kitchen. She is holding my hand in a very tight grip and I pause momentarily to pick her up.

Now, normally, she just sits on my hip, with her legs around my waist and her arms looped around my neck, to help me be able to hold her better. She is still small enough that I am able to hold her easily.

But not this time. No, this time, she does what she did on her birthday when Mr. Jareau had grabbed my arm and scared both of us. She has her arms locked around my neck, not loosely circled, her legs are tighter around my waist than normal, and her face is pressed against my neck.

I sit down on a chair that is in the hallway. I can hear the adults in the kitchen, making lunch and listening to Christmas music.

I move Jen so she is sitting on my lap in a way that allows her to lean her front against my chest and her legs are on either side of me.

I may only be 12 years old but in the months that I have known Jen and her family, I have grown up so much. I have no idea what is going on with her.

I do not know why Jen gets tense and freaks out whenever Mr. Jareau gets close to her. I know she is scared of him, but what has he done to get _this_ type of reaction from her?

I'm not sure why she seems to hate being around strangers, or why she does not like for people (only me) to sneak up behind her, or even why she seems to have nightmares and nighttime accidents every time I spend the night (and probably when I do not also).

I do not know why, since starting school in September – when I started spending the night on just weekends instead of during the week – she has been having separation anxiety.

Mrs. Jareau – Sandy, Jen's mom – has said that it is not just her and Michael that Jen does not want to be separate from.

It's also me.

You know when she went into crying mode when I went to drop-off the first day? Well, after that day, one thing led to another and I started not going to drop-off time with them. And Sandy has told me she has repeated that action over and over and over, almost _every. single. day._

I just know that these things are happening.

I know that she seems to tense up around Mr. Jareau.

I know that she loves me to hold her and talk to her, and that I am the one that can calm her down.

I know that now, since starting school, I have had to start doing my homework at Jen's house. I eat my dinner there and I do my schoolwork and study for my tests there. I practically live there except for when I shower, sleep, and eat breakfast at my own house.

And then, after all of that is finished, I am the one that sings Jen to sleep.

I battle with her each night. She cries, begging me not to leave her. She tells me, as much she can since her dyslexia makes her unable to process the correct words while upset, that she is afraid of the monster that comes for her in her nightmares.

I promise her that she will see me the next afternoon. That she is going to wake up in the morning, go to preschool, and, at the end of the day, I will be there to pick her up with Elijah and Rosaline.

This seems to calm her down a little bit, but Sandy tells me she still cries for me each morning during drop-off time. This has caused Sandy and Michael to have to split up in the morning. Instead of everyone going to the preschool, Sandy takes Jen while Michael makes sure Ros and Elijah get across the campus to their buildings safely.

Sandy says they were doing vice versa but Michael has lost his cool one too many times with how much Jen has been throwing "temper tantrums" and has begun to spank Jen when she doesn't stop. I think Michael is like a lot of parents out there; when a first-time warning doesn't work, he goes straight to spanking.

I'm not saying Michael doesn't care about or love Jen. I believe he does. I can see he does. But, I also believe he feels a lot of tough love and a little less "letting her get away with that shit" (his words not mine) will eventually make Jen "straighten up".

I also think that Sandy understands there is something more going on. She actually listens when Jen says she wants me because she is afraid something will happen if we are not together. She doesn't blow her off and tell her to "stop being such a damn baby" or "shut up before I give you a real reason to cry" like Michael does.

We have also been working on separating. For example, I spend the weekend with Jen and her family. When I go to the bathroom, Jen has been following me, playing in the hallway until I am finished. Or, she follows me to the kitchen when I go.

And now, in the past couple of months since right after Halloween, I have been practicing with her. I go upstairs, do my business, and come back. It takes between 5 and 10 minutes or so. Jen is doing so well. She has moved from right outside the bathroom, to the top of the stairs, and now, just in the last couple of weeks, she has gone to the landing and is playing there.

(**imagine the _Full House_ staircase in the main family room**)

We are going to start working on not coming to the kitchen with me, especially when it is just to get a snack or something to drink, during the new year (she has been coming with me because it is no big deal). Don't get me wrong, she still has setbacks where she begs me to let her play in the hallway so she is _right there_ with me.

But she is getting so much better. In seven weeks she has gone from doing that 6 or 7 times a weekend – which added up to almost 28 times a month – to now only having done it 5 times during the entire month of December. I am so proud of her.

Once again, that brings us to the present. When I sit down, Jenny is stuck to me like glue. I rub her back and talk to her gently, trying to just get back the air of calmness that was there 20 minutes ago.

After a few more minutes, I can feel Jen relax against me. I decide to forego the activity and instead try to distract Jen.

"Hey, _Love_ ," Jen takes her thumb out of her mouth and tilts her head to look at me. "Do you want to go to the kitchen with your mamma and aunties?"

When she gets like this, Jen usually uses sign language to answer. I have been teaching her for about 5 months now and she knows quite a bit. Right now Jen takes her hand and forms the letter **_t_**. She shakes it, signing **_toilet_**.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" I ask and Jenny nods. We stand up and make our way to the bathroom. Afterwards, I take Jenny to the kitchen and set her up with some markers and paper. There is also a box of crayons and coloring books with Christmas pictures in it.

Sandy must notice I am in the kitchen because she comes over and says, "Hey, you two. What's going on?"

Jen just shrugs. She looks down at the table and is quiet, almost like she is too shy to speak. Sandy continues, "Don't you want to go make the gingerbread houses with bubby, sissy, and your cousins?"

More silence.

Finally, Sandy looks to me. I don't know what to say. Do I tell her Jen was uncomfortable sitting next to her uncle? Do I tell her that Jen is _always_ uncomfortable around Mr. Jareau? Do I tell her I think something is going on between him and Jen because Jen is an energetic, giggly little girl who shuts down the moment Mr. Jareau even gets in the vicinity of her?

I don't say any of that. Instead, I tell her that Jen wanted to come color and learn sign language even though I don't know if that is what she really wanted to do. Sandy accepts that answer and goes back to cooking. I distract Jen with one of the coloring books.

I decide now would be a great time to teach Jen some more Christmas sign language. In the last few weeks, I have been teaching her the basics. The signs for _Christmas_ , _presents_ , _stocking_ and _Santa Clause._

I did _Christmas tree_ , _lights_ , and _ornaments_ while we were decorating the tree two weeks ago. Now, I am going to teach her some more. I'll start with what is in her coloring book.

"Okay, _Love_. You wanna learn some more Christmas signs?" Jen lights up at the suggestion. I knew she would; she absolutely loves learning different languages, especially Spanish and sign language.

"All righty, then. We are going to look through your book, okay?" I keep the sentences short and simple.

" ** _O.K._** , **_Emmy_** ," Jen flips through the book, stopping at a picture of a wreath with string lights and a thing of holly. This is good. It has several parts I can teach her. The wreath and holly for sign language, and the lights for Spanish in whatever color she chooses to make them.

 ** _*Jen's point of view*_**

" _Por uh-or_ , dis, 'ay, Emmy?" I say. I mix my _Español_ and English 'cause it's funner than saying just English. And I make sure to say my muh- an-ners, _man'ers_ , 'cause it makes everyone happy!

I also say in a shh (whisper) 'cause people say I talk 'oopid and that makes me not muhna use my voice.

" ** _Thank you_** for being polite," Emmy says. She always says thank you when I say my manners. I like it 'cause it means I bib a good thing.

"Now, what would you like to learn first; sign language or your special words?" 'Special words' are what Emmy calls my Spanish. Emmy says that I am almost all the way _floo-went_ in _Español_. I can also speak Fwench. I know my family's names, my numbers all the way to five, and even my colors!

" _Por uh-or_ , **_sign language_**." This time, I mix my _Español_ and my sign lang'age.

" ** _O.K._** " Emmy points to the wreath. "Do you know what this is?"

"A 'eeth!" I say. I am _vewy_ _suh_ - _mart_! _A wreath!_

" ** _Yes_**! Very good. This is a **_wreath_**. Can you do that?" Emmy makes a sign. She does it extra slow 'cause it's a new one and I don't know how to do it yet. " ** _Wreath_**. Show me the sign for the letter 'C'."

"'Is ih'uh **_C_** ," I say. _This is a_ C.

" ** _Yes_** , **_very good_**. Now, take that 'C' and put it on **_top_** of your **_head_**." I put my 'C' on top of my head.

"Good job. Now, make another 'C' and put that one on **_top_** of your **_head_**." I follow Emmy's directions. "Yes, you are doing a very nice job of listening." I smile at that. I like when people say I am a good listener.

"Now, I want you to take both **_C_** 's and make a **_circle_**. Like this: **_wreath_**. This is a **_picture_** of a **_wreath_**. **_Wreath_** … ** _wreath_**. Now, your turn. Show me the sign for wreath."

" ** _Eeth_**. 'Is ih'uh **_eeth_**. ** _Eeth_**!" I do the sign. _Wreath!_ _This is a wreath. Wreath!_

This is easy. I giggle 'cause it's so much fun. Then I decide I want to show mommy.

" ** _Mamma_**! 'Uh'ear!" I wave at mommy and she and Aun' M'ia come over. _Mamma, come here!_

"Hey, you two. What are you up to?" Mommy and Aun' M'ia sit down be-sss-eyed, beside me and Emmy.

" ** _Mamma_** , 'is ih'uh **_eeth_**!" _Mamma, this is a wreath._

"A what?" Mommy asks.

"Uh **_eeth_**!" I say. "'Is ih'uh eeth!" I point to the picture on the page. _A wreath! This is a wreath!_

"Oh, a wreath?" Aun' M'ia says. "Really? That's very nice signing, baby. Can you show me one more time so Mamma and I can do it?"

"O'ay, Aun' M'ia. 'Oou gots'uh do'ih 'ike 'is. May a 'C', Aun' M'ia. Ike is." I show Aun' M'ia how to do the sign. Then, I show Mamma. "Now, may 'nuh'ear 'C'. An' pooh'em on or 'ead!" ' _Now, make another 'C' and put them on your head.'_

"An' do is! **_Eeth_**! Is ih'uh **_eeth_**!" Mamma and Aun' M'ia do the sign. _And do this! Wreath_! This is a _wreath_.

"Yeah, **_Mamma_**. Lie dat! _Por uh-or_ , Emmy, we do **_more_**?"

"Sure, _Love_. Next, we are going to do holly." Emmy points to something on the page. "This is a **_holly_**. Show me your pointer finger." I puh-oi-nt, point out my pointy fuh-in-guh-er, finger. "Good. Now, show me your other pointer finger." Now I have two pointy fingers out.

"Very good. Okay, now hold out your thumbs." I do that. "Good job, _Love_. All right, now I want everyone to touch their pointer fingers together and then everyone touch their thumbs together." I touch my fingers just like Emmy is doing. She nods at me and smiles. That means I bib it right!

"Now, move your fingers apart" Emmy moves her hands so her fingers are not touching, but her pointy fingers and thumbs are still out.

"Yes. And then touch your pointer fingers to your thumbs. That is how you say **_holly_** in sign language. This is a picture of **_holly_**. **_Holly_** , **_holly_** , **_holly_**."

"Dis ih'uh **_holly_**! **_Hol-ly_** , **_hol-ly_** , **_hol-ly_** , **_hol-ly_**!" I sing my signs. This was'uh easy sign. " ** _Hol-ly_** , **_hol-ly_** , **_hol-ly_**!"

"That is a very nice job on signing, sweetie," Aun' M'ia says. "Can you show me some more signs? I would like to learn some."

"Lie whah, Aun' M'ia?" _Like what, Aunt Maria?_

"Hmm…well, why don't you show me what you already know?"

"I know lots!" I tell her. I do know lots. I know a bazillion signs. Emmy says I'm a good learner.

"Hmm…okay, let's start with something easy then. Do you know the sign for 'mommy'?"

"'Es! I's dis…" I put my fumb on my chin. " ** _Mamma_** , **_mamma_** , **_mamma_**." _Yes! It's this…_

"Like this?" Aun' M'ia does the sign.

"Yeah!"

"Very nice. Do you know the sign for 'daddy'?"

"Uh-huh. I's dis." I put my fumb on my forehead. _Uh-huh. It's this._

Mamma and Aun' M'ia do it. Then Aun' M'ia asks for me to do grandma. I do it. Then I do the sign for grandpa. And "aun'" and "u'cle", and "sister", and "dubda (bubba)", and cousin, like for 'Liza, Maggie, Nattie, Lee-Lee, and Mads.

Mamma and Aun' M'ia say I do a good job. I even get to show them the signs for "yes" and "no", "please" and "thank you", "cereal", "milk", "cookie", "juice", "more", and "all done". I even know the sign for "Teddy Bear". Now I can do it for the _Teddy_ Emmy gived me last night.

After that, Mamma and Aun' M'ia boe back to cookin'. They are makin' lots of yummy food. Then, Mamma and Aun' M'ia and Aun' A'ber tell everyone it is time to eat.

"Jen, baby, I am going to go get a plate. Then, I will come and get you, and you can tell me what you want to eat. Okay?" I frown when Emmy says that. I don't muhna be alone.

" ** _No, Emmy_**. **_Go with you_**."

"You can come with me, but in a minute. I need you to stay right here." Emmy bends down in front of me. "Hey, do you remember what I promise you when your tummy feels yucky and you don't want me to leave?"

I nod this time. Yeah, I remember. "Yeah, **_you always come back and you won't leave me_**."

"That's right, _Love_. You can still see me. I will be right over there, just for a second. Okay?"

"Pinky pwomise?" I say 'cause Emmy always keeps her pinky promise. She always comes back when she pinky promises.

Emmy puts her pinky on mine. "I pinky promise to come back. Stay right here, okay, _Love_?" Emmy goes to where the food is.

Everybody comes to the kitchen. There're lots of people in here. Me and mamma and babby. Dubda and sissy. Mads and Nattie and Lee-Lee. 'Liza and Maggie. And then un'le Jack and un'le Caleb and aun' M'ia and aun' A'ber.

Emmy's babby is here, too. I call him un'le James. Her cousins are here. They are Benny, – I like him! He's funny. –and then DJ and Dawn – they're twins, just like Mattie & Lee-Lee and 'Liza & Nags! –, and Davie, and lots more I cannot remember.

Everyone comes to the kitchen till no more people can fit in here. I am at the table using my book and colors from my special bag (mamma thinks I dohno it's'uh diapie bag, but I do). Emmy isn't here anymore. I can't see her 'cause of all these people.

I decide to get up and look for her.

"Emmy?" I look around. There are lots of people here. I only know my mamma and babby, and my cousins, and my aunts and uncles, and my dubda and sissy. Also, Benny and un'le James. But no one else.

"Emmy!" I use my loud voice. I am so small that I can fit through people. "Emmy, where'uh 'ooh?" I start to get scared. I remember what un'le Jack said when he touches my no-no place.

" _If you tell anyone our little secret, they will be mad at you. They will call the police and the police will take you far, far away. And if you tell your mommy or daddy, I will tell them that precious girl you call Emmy told you to say it. They will make Emmy go far, far away. You don't want that, do you? If Emmy goes away, then_ _she_ _can be my special little girl, instead of you. And I'm sure you do not want that, isn't that right, Jenny?_ "

I do not want un'le Jack to hurt Emmy. If Emmy is his 'pecial lil' girl instead of me that means un'le Jack will touch Emmy and make Emmy sad. Then, she will have bad _dweams_ 'bout _da_ monsters comin' for her.

And I do not want that at all.

That makes me feel really scared. What if Emmy is not answerin' me 'cause un'le Jack is making her his 'pecial lil' girl? I don't see un'le Jack anywhere. And I don't see Emmy anywhere. I get super **_scared_**.

I **_want_** Emmy. I weally want her now. I start cryin'. My **_chest_** feels weird. It's like someone is **_holdin'_** it really tight. I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe? I want Emmy. I want my chest not to feel tight. I want _someone_ to let go. I can't breathe.

I weally, weally want Emmy! I don't see her. I do not hear her. Un'le Jack has Emmy and he is gonna **_hurt_** her. He is gonna make her his 'pecial lil' **_girl_**.

I do not want that. I want Emmy here. I want Emmy now. But I can't. It's my fault. I told Emmy a monster was gonna get me. Un'le Jack _founded_ out and now I am in t'ouble. Now he is gonna hurt her. Now he is gonna make me boe far, far 'way and I won't ever see her again.

I can't breathe. I can't see anything. I want Emmy. I _weally_ , _weally_ , _weally_ want Emmy!

I start walkin'. I walk and walk and walk and walk. Now I'm alone.

I still can't breathe. My **_chest_** still feels like _someone_ is holdin' it tight. I weally wish that _someone_ would let go.

* * *

 ** _*Benson's point of view*_**

Today has been a very strange day. These past few months, since August before school started, I have gotten to know Jen, Emily's 4-year-old best friend, a little more than what I saw that day at the pool.

I have to say, she has got to be the sweetest, goofiest, little girl I have ever met. And that's saying something since I have almost 15 cousins with several at or around Jen's age.

But since school has started, Em has been telling me about Jen's behavior. She says Jen cries for her almost every morning. She says Jen begs her not to leave at night. It's like she is scared Emily is not going to come back if she does leave.

And, she has told me about how Jen always wants to be by her side. She has to hold her hand or sit beside her, never letting Em leave her sight.

Now, I know that this has been happening before school. Em tells me Jen has bad dreams and then, after the dreams, she is…kind of clingy.

But this is different, Emily has said. This is a different kind of clingy. She can't go anywhere without letting Jen know first or bringing her along. Whether it's to go to the bathroom, or the kitchen, or to go home at night, if Em does it without letting her know first, then Jen gets really upset and begs her not to go.

Speaking of that. I see Jen right now. And she doesn't look too good. Her hands have her new teddy bear in a death grip. It's the same teddy bear I saw sitting on the table earlier. Em told me it was an early Christmas present, one Jen opened last night when she couldn't get her to calm down when she was leaving. Something to keep her calm until today.

If I look real close, her face is all scrunched up with her eyes squeezed shut. I am sure that if they were open, they would match the fear and anxious look written all over her face.

She turns around and starts walking towards the doorway of the kitchen. I expect her to stop or turn around since Emily is in here and not wherever Jen is going.

But she does not do that. Instead, she just keeps walking. I decide to follow her. I go out of the kitchen, through the hallway, around some corners…I finally catch up to her.

"Jen, hey there," I bend down beside her, grabbing her shoulders and gently turn her around.

 _Damn_ , she looks even worse up close.

Her face is streaked with tears, snot, and sweat. And, if I'm not badly mistaken, I'd say she was in the middle of one of those panic attacks Emily has also told me about.

"Jen, Jenny, I need you to come with me, okay? Come with me. Let's go sit down. Come on." She starts moving towards me, and I have never been more thankful that I am on the very short list of people she trusts as I am right now.

"Good girl…come on…yeah, that's good." I know I should probably get Emily or Jen's parents or any adult at all, but first and foremost, my concern is to get Jen through this panic attack. She doesn't look as if she is getting any air. I've had panic attacks before, the sweaty palms, the racing heart, the feeling of an elephant sitting on your chest.

It terrifies me still at 16, so I can't even begin to imagine how that feels to this tiny girl at just 4 years old.

I sit Jennifer in a chair. She has no energy to fight me or I am sure she would be kicking and screaming and trying to get away. I guide her head to between her legs while speaking softly and gently. I tell her to just try to take deep breaths and she will feel better in just a few minutes.

I run my hands through Jen's hair and down her back making a pattern of it. It works. Jen looks up after a while, a little worse for wear, but better than she was. The first thing out of her mouth is,

"Wan' Em- _me_!" I'm not surprised she asked for Emily right away. I hear footsteps behind me and turn around. It's my brother, Harvey.

His eyes are wide, no doubt surprised and confused at the state Jen is in.

"Ben…what...what is going on?"

"Harv, I need you to go and get Emily, please. JJ needs her right now, and ask her parents to come here, too." Harvey doesn't waste any time doing what I asked, and in no time, JJ's parents, siblings, and Emily are surrounding us.

Of course, Emily scoops JJ right up and sits down with her. Apparently, her mom and dad know what has happened without even asking because Mrs. Jareau instructs Rosaline to go get her diaper bag from the kitchen closet, where all the purses and bags are, and then tells Elijah to bring them Jen's sippy cup with some ice water.

I am still in shock over what has just happened. Obviously, even though Emily explained how JJ acts, I had no idea that it was this bad. Does JJ really have panic attacks if she looks for Emily and can't find her?

I know. I wouldn't believe it either if I had not just witnessed it. She was seriously freaked out. Separation anxiety is in normal in kids around Jen's age, but for it to be _that bad_?

Something had to have happened to make JJ think if Emily leaves without letting her know first or without her permission, then something bad will happen to her. She's obviously developed an unbreakable bond with Em.

I watch as Elijah comes back with a sippy cup of water. And Rosaline returns with the diaper bag that is really a small backpack.

I watch as Mrs. Jareau empties everything out only to put everything back. There are three pacifiers, two more sippy cups, three books, about six or so diapers, a couple changes of clothes (two dresses, tights, and sandals), a pack of baby wipes, and a first aid kit.

I didn't even know Jen still needed a diaper bag.

Mrs. Jareau takes the change of clothes and the sippy cup Elijah is holding. She whispers something to Emily, to which Em nods and then she stands up, takes the cup, the bag, and adjusts Jen to her right hip, and then disappears down the hallway.

Finally, Mrs. Jareau notices me watching them. I have no idea how my face looks. I'm feeling the whole rainbow worth of emotions. Confusion, concern, shock, sadness that this is happening to Jen, and just a general what-the-hell-did-I-just-witness kind of feeling.

"You're Benson, Emily's cousin, correct?" She asks me and I snap out of it enough to answer.

"Y-yes, I am," I answer. "Um…I-I don't mean to pry or anything, but…Emily's has… told me about how Jen reacts to her leaving in these past few months, but, I-I had no idea it was _this_ bad…" I trail off hoping she picked up on my unasked question and that I don't seem too nosy.

Mrs. Jareau sighs. "Yeah, I have no idea what is going on. This just started about a month into her going to school. I figured we may have trouble with separation, being off for the summer and everything, but this…this is new, and I honestly am like you, Benson. I have no idea what is going on and things like what happened just a moment ago, scare me."

Mrs. Jareau sighs again and looks at me. I have the feeling it would be best if I looked right at her and gave her my full attention.

"Thank you for whatever it is you did. You seemed to have jumped in and calm Jenny down and be exactly what she needed. So, thank you for that, Benson."

I just smile, nod, and say no problem. Because, what could I possibly say? I have no idea what is going on, I had no idea it was this bad. And now, I am in a for a wild ride this Christmas break.

* * *

 ** _*Emily's point of view*_**

Well, this day has been so awful. God, I don't even know what to say or what to do. I turn my back for one second, and Jen goes from a happy little girl learning sign language and coloring in her new book to having a near full-blown panic attack within just a few minutes of each other.

I don't even know what happened.

Or how this happened.

I didn't leave her with letting her know. She knew I was going to get something to eat.

I have no idea why she left the table or the room at that.

All I know is I walked out of the kitchen and into the main room and saw Jen in her post-panic attack state. Thankfully, this time it was a small one. I just know that if Benson had not caught up with her as soon as he did, this would have been a lot worse.

Sandy asked Rosaline to go get Jen's diaper bag and sent Elijah to get some water. Then, she let me take Jen to the bathroom to change her dress and wash her face.

She didn't have an accident this time, but she did get sweaty during the panic attack like usual so I am going to change her from a red dress to a green one, redo her hair with green ribbons, and wash her face with cold water.

"Jen, hey, _Love_ ," I whisper as I unzip the dress in the back. "We are going to change out of this yucky dress into a new one, okay? Would you like some water?" She nods, not speaking. Again, this is normal after an attack. I hand her the sippy cup of ice water.

I change her dress and then let her go potty again. Next, I take a cold, wet washcloth and wipe her face, neck, and arms, and then I adjust her french braids a little, putting in the green ribbons to match her dress.

"Now, how about a story before we go back to lunch, huh? And we can talk about what happened?" Jen nods, going to her backpack and pulling out _Baby Star_ , her favorite.

"All right, come here." We sit down in the oversized, comfy chair that in the bathroom. This is a very large bathroom, with about 6 stalls and lots of counter space and extra seats for times when there are a lot of people who need to get ready for some big event.

" _Baby Star_ ," I begin…

" _Once there was a baby star. He lived up near the sun. And every night at bedtime that baby star wanted to have fun_." I let Jen turn the page. She likes to point the star and sun and moon out and have me sign them.

" _He would shine and shine and fall and shoot and twinkle oh-so-bright. And he said, "Mommy, I'll run away if you make me say goodnight_."

" _And then his mommy kissed his sparkly nose and said, "No matter where you go, no matter where you are, no matter how big you grow, and even if you stray far, I'll love you forever because you'll always be my baby star_."

"The end…" We sit quietly for a moment, Jen playing with my necklace with her head on my chest. The door opens and I feel her tense up.

It's only her mom.

"Emily," She greets me, coming over and bending down in front of us. "Hey, baby. How are you feeling?"

"I good now, Mamma," I smile at Jen's use of 'I' instead of 'me'. "Emmy ay me _allll_ beher." _Emmy made me all better._

"That's good. I'm glad. Do you want to talk about what happened? What made you feel all yucky and scared?" That's what we call Jen's panic attacks when we speak to her about them.

Although I think we should call them what they are, Sandy and Michael agree that she is too young, and of course, I have to do as they say because they are the adults and her parents. I am only her friend.

"I jus' 'ots uh-eared _,_ Mamma," Jen tells her. _I just got scared, Mamma._

Just like always. I wish she would talk about them. I wish she would trust me enough to tell me what she was feeling before they happened, so I could help her to avoid or, at least, deal with whatever causes them.

And, as always, Sandy accepts Jen's answer. She is her mother. Shouldn't she be wondering _what_ or _why_ Jen as scared? I mean, not even 15 minutes before the panic attack, she and Maria were with Jen and me. She saw how happy and playful she was being.

Shouldn't _that_ be a sign that it was more than Jen being scared?

But, just like always, Sandy accepts the answer and then suggests we leave to go get some lunch. Jen and I stand up with Jen taking my hand. She asks to be picked up in that silent way of hers and I do, but I put her down as we get closer to the kitchen.

We get plates and some food, Sandy speaks with Jen's dad and siblings and I speak with Benson. I make our plates and Jen carries hers to the table with me following, but she looks back a few times to make sure I am still there.

And, once again, Jen does not let me out her sight for the rest of the day. She doesn't want to play with DJ, Dawn, or Bree, not even with me beside her, and that is how I know, it wasn't just a _normal_ panic attack.

The day goes pretty well after that. We play outside since it is so warm, - I eventually get Jen to play hide-'n-seek with DJ, Dawn, and Bree - and then we all celebrate my dad's birthday. Later on tonight the kids will all sleep over together here at the community center. This is so we can wake up together on Christmas morning.

Also, tonight is when I am going to include Jen and her little cousins in the Prentiss family tradition of reading _T'was the Night Before Christmas_.

* * *

 **Hi, all! Great news! I finally got rid of my writer's block! Woooo! Please review and let me know what you thought! Can I have 6 reviews for this chapter? (pssst, I have the next one ready to post, so let me have those 6!).**

 **I want to take a moment to talk about Jen and some things we learned in this chapter. Please note that JJ has not been officially diagnosed with Separation Anxiety Disorder, as separation anxiety is normal for kids JJ's age and therefore no one is really concerned.**

 **In this chapter, Emily mentions Jen having trouble separating, although not from her parents, but from Emily. This has been going on since mid-September. You read what Emily has been doing for this. She also mentions JJ's panic attacks, like the one you saw. This will be extended on in later chapters.**

 **On the days when Michael and Sandy stay late, Jack and Amber come to pick Rosaline, JJ, and Elijah up. They drop Elijah off at home and take Rosie and Jenny to their house.**

 **Since Sept., Jen and Ros have been at their house about two wkds/month. That is 8 times, give or a take a few days for during the week. Now, during the week, Jackson is hurting Maddie and the twins, but on weekends he rotate Rosa and JJ (JJ on Sat., Ros on Sun., then vice versa).**

 **Eventually, Jen figured out "If I fight with mommy and daddy, and cry and beg for Emmy, then Emmy will stay the night. If Emmy stays, then I don't have to go to Uncle Jack's. If I don't have to go to Uncle Jack's house, then he will not touch my "no-no" spot."**

 **And if she wasn't hurt, there was less of a chance of nighttime accidents and bad dreams. See where I am going with this?**

 **All right, so for the time being, Jen is going to have separation anxiety from Emily. Please try to stick through with me during this. If you have any questions, etc., ask in the reviews or PM me.**

 **Also, Happy (late) New Year everyone! :)**


	24. Emily is Our Babysitter!

**_Emily is our Babysitter_**

 **Prompt for _Hippiechic81_ who wanted to see how Emily came to be the Jareaus babysitter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not ow CM or the characters. I do not own the song used in this chapter. I do own JJ and Emily's families.  
Spoilers: None.  
Rating: K+.**

 **Weather on this day:**

 **High Temp.: 73°F  
Low Temp.: 57°F  
Precipitation: 0 inches (rain/drizzle)**

 **Notes #1: The schools everyone goes to are preschool, _Logan Elementary_ & _East Allegheny Jr. High_. Those buildings are on one campus. The kids get a ride home with the Prentiss's personal driver. "Mic" is pronounced as "Mike".**

 **To see these schools' schedules such as when they have Christmas or Thanksgiving break, go to the first chapter of this story.**

 ** _Kids in this chapter:_**

 ** _Emily: 12 years old. (7th)_** **.** _  
 **Rosaline: 10 years old. (5th)**_ **.** _  
 **Jennifer: 4 years old (preschool)**_ **.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 ** _December 28th, 1982_**

* * *

 ** _*Emily's house. Noon*_**

"All right, baby, do you have everything?" James asks. He knows Emily wants to earn her own money, and he is very proud of her for stepping up and taking the responsibility of looking for a job or something that will help her do just that.

"Yes, dad, for the twentieth time." Emily smiles. Her parents, Elizabeth and James, are so proud of Emily for wanting to do this. In fact, it was Elizabeth that suggested Emily go to the Jareaus' before she looks elsewhere for a babysitting job.

"Okay, sweetheart. You better get going. Remember: I love you and I am very proud of you for stepping up and doing this."

"I know, Daddy. I love you, too. I have to get going. Bye!" She calls as she runs out of the door.

It is just the beginning of the second week of Christmas break. Emily's extended family have all went home by now and the kids are left to play with the toys they received for Christmas and to continue staying up late and/or sleeping in.

A few days ago, Emily approached Sandy and Michael. She asked them if they would like a babysitter for the New Year. After talking it over, Sandy and Michael agreed that it wouldn't hurt to have someone there at the house say, after school if they worked late. Just someone to make sure Jen had her bath, Ros had her homework done, etc.

And they truly do trust Emily with the responsibility of looking over Rosaline and Jennifer. So, they agreed to it. After trying to get Emily to do otherwise, Sandy and Michael also agreed to do an official interview for the job.

Although it is late in December, the temperature has gotten up to nearly 75° outside today, so Emily will walk to the Jareau household and maybe even get to take Jen and Rosa to the park for the afternoon.

She smiles to herself as she travels the 7-and-a-half-minute walk to Jen's house. If everything goes as planned, she will have a paying job to do. A way to make her own money; money that does not come from chores/allowances, or her family members. _And_ a reason to spend more time with Jen.

She hopes that by spending more time with Jen, she can practice separating more and that it will have a more positive effect on the little girl instead of making it harder for Jen to be away from Emily.

* * *

She continues walking just until she reaches Mr. and Mrs. Jareaus house. When she arrives, she takes a big breath and knocks on the door. Normally, she would have just walked right in, but this isn't just a fun social call so Emily decides to treat _everything_ differently.

Sandy opens the door and smiles at her. She remembers when the younger girl asked if they were looking for a babysitter or if they would mind having one. She said she would like them to think about giving her the job, as she knows about JJ's dyslexia.

Emily explained that maybe having someone else, someone who is older and not familiar with JJ's dyslexia and therefore would become impatient with her, probably would not be a very good idea.

Sandy and Michael agreed. This diagnosis is new to them, even now, a whole month later and the last thing they want or need is to come home from work and have JJ be upset because a babysitter became impatient and lost his/her cool with their daughter.

Sandy ushers the young girl inside and to the kitchen. "Mic, honey, Emily is here. Why don't we go ahead and get started?"

"Alrighty then," Michael sets aside the newspaper and Emily takes a seat. "So Emily, Sandy and I were talking and we think that since we know how well you work with JJ and Ros already, the best thing to do is just get to know _you_ a little bit more."

Emily nods at that. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Well," Sandy starts. "Why don't you tell a little bit about yourself? What do your parents do?" Emily shrugs.

"Well, let's see. My mom is the ambassador and my dad is a pediatrician. I usually see my dad more than my mom, since he works from the mornings to the afternoons, but my mom does try to be home to spend some time with me at least four days a week. They each have three siblings, um…my dad has two sisters and one brother and my mom has the opposite; two brothers, one who is her twin, and one sister."

"This is fun for me, being an only child, because I get about 14 cousins out of all my aunts and uncles. However," Emily smiles a bit at this next part. "Four of my aunts are pregnant and due this year; one in January, one in May, one in June, and one in September."

Sandy's eyes widen at that. She only met part of Emily's family last week during the Christmas gathering. She knew that the people who came were not all of Emily's family members, but she had no idea the younger girl had _that_ many cousins or aunts and uncles, nor did she know she was going to gain four cousins in one year.

"Wow. You come from a big family. No wonder you are so good with JJ and Ros." Emily smiles at that also. She has so many family members and loves each and every one of them so much, that she has already decided she wants a big family when she grows up.

Sandy looks to Michael as a sign that he can ask the next question. He nods.

"Well, what made you want to be a babysitter, Emily?" He asks.

"Um…well, I uh, my family is well-off with money. And my cousins, they uh, they help out around the house and do chores and stuff. And they get paid for that. But I didn't want to do that. I wanted to earn my own money and not have my family members paying me." Emily takes a breath and continues. She doesn't know why she is so nervous all of a sudden; she's known the Jareaus for nearly 7 months now.

"I move around a lot and over the years, I have met a lot of other kids. Some my age, others older or younger. And they all had one thing in common: they were from families who were well off, like me, and they all acted like spoiled, rich brats. I just did not want to do that. I wanted to spend the money I earned myself doing something other than working for my own family." Emily finishes with another deep, quiet breath.

"Okay, I actually think we have everything we need," Sandy tells her, satisfied with that answer but also surprised at such a sophisticated answer coming from the 12-year-old. She glances at her husband. "All that's left is to talk about when you can watch the girls and the pay."

Emily nods. "I can watch Rosaline and Jen on the weekends and any time after school that you need me too."

Sandy nods also. "Actually, you probably will not need to watch them every weekend. Just for a couple of hours on a Saturday once or twice a month, maybe while Mic and I run some errands." Emily nods to this.

"But would you mind come home with Rosaline and JJ after school and watching them until 6:30 p.m. when Mic or I get off work? We usually get home within a few minutes of each other, or we get here together, it just depends on the traffic."

"Yes, that's perfect. I go with Elijah over to the middle school to get Rosaline and then to the preschool to get Jen. I can just have my driver drop us all off here and then stay with them longer than I have been."

"Wonderful! And we want you to know that we know being only 12 and babysitting a four-½- and 10-½-year-old can be a handful at times, so if you ever need a night off during the week, to study or do homework or just to rest, or if you need the weekend off, just let us know, okay?"

"I will do that."

"Okay. I think that's it. Now, let's talk about the pay." Sandy and Michael discuss for the next few minutes what Emily's pay is going to be. They try to start her off with 12.50/hour, but soon realize that might be a little overwhelming for the 12-year-old, especially when they out and tell her that would be $400 each week.

However, Michael and Sandy want to treat Emily as they would any other person who was applying for the job of being their babysitter. As they already decided she would be a perfect fit, Emily is now JJ and Rosaline's babysitter first, best friend second.

Therefore, they are going to treat her as close to a professional as they can. Sandy explains to her that, while they know she may be uncomfortable taking their money, she _is_ their babysitter, and they want to remain as professional as possible, which means paying her a decent amount of money.

Emily sighs and nods. She understands what they are saying. She is going to be their babysitter. Her job will be to make sure Rosaline has her homework done, they both have showers, and other things that need to be done on a school night.

Not to mention, she will be responsible for their safety. Making sure they don't play in the road or do anything dangerous, that they clean up their messes at mealtime, and other things during the weekend. So, Emily asks for no more than $10 an hour.

"That seems fair enough," Michael tells her. They finally decide on something. They are going to pay her $20 dollars each night, meaning she will be getting about $6.50 an hour.

Emily nods, accepting that much. She will definitely be comfortable with that. That's under $150 dollars a week and about $530 dollars a month.

"Okay, I can accept that. Thank you."

"It's not a problem, Em," Sandy says using the nickname she began giving the girl a few months ago. "We want you to able to discuss this with us. We want you to be comfortable taking our money since you asked for us to consider you being our sitter. If you are not comfortable with this amount, then we would love to discuss it more and get it to an amount you _are_ comfortable with. Okay?"

Emily smiles, finally relaxing. She can do this. She can _definitely_ do this. "Yeah, okay."

"All right." Sandy nods once, firmly. "Well, I think that's it. Anything you want to add, Mic?" They discuss the rules next. Michael tells her that they need her to check and make sure Rosaline has her homework finished each night. And also, she will need to give JJ her bath and make sure Rosaline gets her shower.

The rules, though, are mostly what everyone is allowed to do. When everyone gets home, the Jareau kids are allowed 30 minutes to relax after school before beginning their home. Also, during a school week, the kids are not allowed on the computer unless Elijah or Rosaline have a project they need to research.

Emily nods at each thing she is told, making to remember to write it down later. By the time the kids get done with their homework, their showers, and get everything situated for school the next day, Michael and Sandy will be home.

Emily nods along, ever so often saying 'ok' or 'all right'.

"Well, I think that is everything. But how about we do a trial run for this afternoon? You and I have some errands to run and Emily could watch the girls for just a couple of hours. Get a feel for what she's up for."

"Would that be all right with you, Emily?" Michael asks her as he nods and agrees with Sandy.

Emily smiles and nods, happy to see JJ early. "Sure. When do you need me?"

"Well, let's see. It's 12:30 now. How about you run home for a couple hours, we'll make lunch and then you can come back around, say 2:30ish? JJ will be laying down for her nap, and I'm sure Ros will be reading one of her books so it will probably be a lazy afternoon."

"Yes!" Emily beams. "That sounds great."

"Okay! Well, Michael, go get Ros and JJ and bring them in here. Let's tell them what's going on."

Michael leaves the kitchen and Emily stands from the table already preparing for JJ's excitement upon seeing Emily. As she is pushing the chair back to the table, the kitchen door swings open and she hears JJ yell,

"Emmy!" Before she is nearly knocked by the weight of the four-year-old plowing into her legs. She picks the little girl up and smiles at her.

"Hey, butterfly. How are you?"

"Good!" JJ beams back. "Whah's 'oohs doin' hewe?" She asks, mostly getting the words right. _What are you doing here?_

"Well, your mommy and daddy have something to tell you and sissy. So I need you to sit here and listen carefully to them, okay?"

"'Ay." Emily sits back down and lets the preschooler climb into her lap. _Kay._

"Ros, JJ, do you guys remember when we said that Daddy and I were going to be looking for a babysitter for you guys?" Sandy starts out.

"But Mom," Rosaline whines. "I'm not a baby. I don't need a babysitter like JJ does. She's the baby, so she's the one that needs to be watched."

"Hey!" JJ complains. "I not'uh bay-e! I fouw 'ears old!" _Hey! I'm not a baby! I'm four years old!_

"Yes, you are! You even talk like a baby all the time. You get away with everything. You never get in trouble, except for when you are big baby and cry every morning!"

Emily sees JJ frown at this. The little girl is more than aware of the fact that there are words she cannot pronounce or even that she speaks with very few words "like a baby", in the first place. She gets teased by some of her family members for it.

She also knows she cries often. Emily honestly thinks that JJ either is unable to understand or simply does not know why she cries and is so scared when Emily leaves. She just knows that she does do it, quite often, that is.

And Rosaline bringing those things up as a reason to call JJ a baby is even worse.

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Michael puts a stop to the two blondes' argument. "Rosaline Alexandra Jareau,"

Emily doesn't get to speak up in defense of JJ to Rosaline, but she does notice the young girl wincing at the use of her, as JJ calls it, _real_ full name. Then, Michael pauses, closing his eyes and sighing, almost like he can't believe Rosaline would say something like that.

"Rosaline, what is the matter with you?" Rosaline bows her head, both in embarrassment and shame. She seems to have realized the mistake she made. "Why would you say something like that?"

"I'm sorry," Rosaline mumbles but her dad just sighs again and shakes his head.

"Honey, I know that it seems like we baby JJ a lot, that we let her off the hook and that she seems to get her way all the time. But that is because Jen learns in a way that is different from you and Elijah. Some things do not come easy to her, or she may need help with something that would otherwise be easy to a four-year-old. We have more expectations for you and Eli because not only are you two older, but you both learn in ways different to her, and some things come easier to you two than it does to her, all right?"

Rosaline nods at that so after saying all of this, Michael is quiet for a moment, letting her digest it. Emily looks down to JJ who has her "mad" face on and her arms crossed.

"'Ooh'uh neeny 'ace," is all the little girl says as she jumps from Emily's lap and tugs on her hand, wanting to go to her room. _You're a meany face._

"JJ, hang on a moment, sweetie," Sandy stops her. "Daddy and I need to speak with you and Rosaline about Emily." JJ huffs but lets Emily bring her back to the table. The little preschooler climbs into Emily's lap again, but this time turns towards her mom and dad on the other side of the table.

"Ros, I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you are not old enough to stay home by yourself just quite yet," Sandy tells her. "Now, as I was saying, this is Emily Prentiss, which I'm sure you already know, and she is going to be your babysitter."

"Whah's'uh day…day…," JJ cannot remember how to pronounce the word, so she just goes with, "Whah's dat?"

"A babysitter is someone who will come home with you, Bubba, and Sissy. They will make sure you take your bath, and help you with your homework, and will stay with you until Daddy or I get home."

"Emmy be hewe?" JJ asks, clarifying since she heard "Emily" and "babysitter" in the same sentence.

"Yep, I'm going to watch you and sissy. Is that okay with you?"

JJ nods enthusiastically. "Yeah! Yous my uh…" She pauses as she tries to think of the right word. Emily can see she is getting frustrated, as she cannot even think of the simple word to describe Emily.

Emily leans in closer to the little girl. "Do you remember what I said about picturing the word in your head?" She asks the same question she does with her cousins Aubrey and Dawnie.

JJ pouts as she looks up at Emily. "I dohno." She whines disappointedly. Emily decides to try the next thing she uses.

"Well, do you remember what this?" Emily then makes the sign for **_friend_.**

"F'iend!" JJ shouts as she immediately recognizes it.

"That's right. And I am very happy to be babysitting you and Rosie." Emily turns to the ten-year-old. She may be mad at her for what she said, but she is still her friend. She kind of understands how hard it might be for Rosaline to see her 4-year-old sister get away with things Sandy and Michael would never have allowed her or Elijah to get away with when they were each four years old.

"Now, Rosie, don't be that way. Remember how much fun we had at the park when your daddy brought you and JJ?"

"Yes," Ros replies.

"Well, just think of this as something like that. Your dad sat on the bench while you, Jenny, and I played on the playground. So that meant that you and Jenny had to listen to me, remember?"

"Yes, I do. And you were fun because you weren't bossy!" Rosaline says.

"That's right!" Emily smiles at her. "And as long as you listen to me here, as long as you obey the rules your mom and dad give us, then it will be just like the park. I promise to try not to be too bossy if you promise to try to listen to me. Deal?"

"Okay, deal!" Rosaline beams at the teenager.

"Okay, well now that that's all settled, let's let Emily go home so we can get lunch started," Sandy tells the kids.

"Aw, you're leavin'?" JJ pouts.

"Yeah, but just for a little while. I'm going to come back after lunch."

"Do you _pwomise_?" Jen has been getting better about not crying when Emily leaves. Sometimes, though, she has setbacks, where she still cries and begs Emily not to leave. She hopes being Jen and Rosaline's babysitter won't set back the progress they've made since the end of October.

"I promise, butterfly." Emily kisses the preschooler's forehead and then sets her down on the floor.

" ** _I love you, Emmy_**!" JJ signs. She loves being able to do this even though she is plenty capable of saying it.

"I love you, too, sweetheart. I will see you in **_two hours_**." Emily makes the sign for 'two' and 'hour' to which Jenny beams, as she understands. She goes home and happily tells James about her new job. A couple of hours later she heads back to the Jareaus' house.

* * *

 ** _*Two hours later*_**

When Emily arrives back at the Jareaus' house, she finds Sandy, Michael, and Elijah in the kitchen.

"Hi, Sandy." She greets.

"Emily, good you're here. Elijah's decided he wants to come along, so it will just be you and the girls. The number for Michael's pager is on the fridge, along with our neighbor's number in case something happens. Our doctor's number is on the fridge as well, but we will only be gone a few hours and you shouldn't need it." Sandy starts listing off.

"Um, let's see, what else. Oh, Rosaline is reading a book in her room. If you don't mind, will you go in there in about forty-five minutes and tell her to take a break? She gets a headache if she reads for more than an hour."

"Of course." Emily agrees. "Um, is there something for her to take if she does get a headache?"

"Yes, just give her two aspirins and a glass of water, please," Sandy tells her. Emily nods again.

"Now, Jenny is upstairs in her room. She is supposed to be taking a nap, but she may give you a little trouble."

"Oh, I can handle her. I know how to get a little girl to sleep." Emily promises and smiles at Sandy.

"I know this seems a little strange, but because JJ doesn't sleep through the night, we still use the baby monitor. Would you mind bringing it down here so you can hear her?"

"Of course." Emily instantly agrees, although her heart breaks a little at the news that her best friend is still having nightmares. She knew it was true, but she honestly didn't know it was enough that the baby monitor was brought back out.

Sandy looks relieved immediately at her agreement.

"And we still allow her a paci during her naps. I know you've seen her with them at night, but when she gets up, if she gives it to you without trouble, then she gets a sticker if you won't mind doing that with her?"

"Of course. I will take it as soon she wakes up, and will let her pick one out."

"What else am I forgetting, Michael?"

"I think that's everything, honey. Emily will be just fine." He says. "Oh, but there is food in the kitchen. Help yourself to a snack if you would like."

"Okay, I will. Now, go on. I will be fine, I promise."

"Okay, okay, we're going." After everyone leaves, Emily makes her way upstairs and to JJ's room.

She finds the preschooler sitting in her bed, looking like a four-year-old who refuses to take a nap.

"Hey there, little butterfly." She says, making the blonde perk up. "I hear you don't want to take a nap."

"Doh wuhna, Emmy." The little girl pouts. _Don't wanna, Emmy._

Emily walks over to JJ's princess themed bed. "Come here." She picks the preschooler up and sits on the bed.

"Why don't you want to take a nap?"

"'Uhscause me wuhna p'ay, Emmy." Emily sighs and nods. _Because I wanna play, Emmy._

"Well, you can't play if you're tired, baby." She lays the preschooler back down and covers her up.

"Doh go, Emmy," Jen says, and Emily sees her beginning to get upset, which will turn into either a meltdown or a panic attack. She tries to avoid them as much as possible.

"I can until you fall asleep. How 'bout you close your eyes and I'll sing you a song? Okay?"

"'Ay." _'Kay._

"All right. Lie down and get comfy." Emily covers the preschooler up and then lies down beside her. Then she starts to sing,

 _Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high.  
There's a land that I've heard of, once in a lullaby._

 _Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue.  
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true._

 _Someday I wish upon a star, (someday I wish upon a star)  
Where the clouds are far, far, far behind me  
(And wake up where the clouds are far behind me)_

 _Where all my troubles melt like lemon drops.  
Way above the chimney tops, (way above the chimney tops)  
that is where you will find me._

Emily continues to sing until JJ's breathing evens out. She quietly grabs the baby monitor that Sandy had left on JJ's dresser and slips out of the room and heads down the hall to Rosaline's room.

She sticks her head into the room and finds Rosaline sitting on a black and red-checkered bedspread. The rest of the room is painted and decorated to match.

"Hey, Ros." Emily steps into the room and glances at the clock. It reads _2:45 p.m._

"Your mom said to take a break in a few minutes, okay? You have about 25 minutes before you need to take it."

Rosaline looks at the clock and then back at Emily. "Mommy tells me the time I have to stop and I watch the clock."

Emily nods. "Take a break at 3:10." She tells her. Rosaline nods and goes back to reading her book. Emily heads back to JJ's room to find the younger blonde still asleep in her bed so she heads downstairs to make herself a snack.

Later, when Rosa's time is up, the ten-year-old ventures downstairs. She comes into the kitchen where Emily is eating her lunch.

"Hi, Emily! What are you eating?"

"Hey, Ros. I'm eating some ramen noodles. Would you like some or are you still full from lunch?"

"I'm still full. But can I sit with you?"

"Sure. Come over here." Rosa climbs into the seat next to Emily. "Why don't you tell me about 5th grade? I have cousins in fifth grade, but I want to hear from you. Do you like your teacher this year?"

"Yes! I have a teacher named Mr. Smith and he's so funny! I love science class. He makes it so fun 'cause he's always letting us do experiments, like that one time we spent a whole week working on making a volcano! Um…let's see…I really like music class. My teacher, Ms. Roberts, says I have a pretty singing voice."

Emily smiles. She's heard the young girl singing and she does indeed have a beautiful voice. "What else do you like about fifth grade?"

"I love art class! They have these special paints and we only get to use them on Friday if we are good all week long. I like using them because we have neon pink and green." Rosaline giggles. "I don't like gym class though. Oh! I'm the captain of the soccer team and I have almost have all As and Bs! I need to get the 76% in Language Arts up to a B and then I will. Mom and Daddy say they're really proud of me."

"Wow! I'm proud of you, too, Ros. As and Bs and one C are very nice grades." Emily praises the younger girl. "It sounds like you've had a fun year. Getting to use neon paint and doing science experiments. Did you have fun with the volcano?" Rosaline nods enthusiastically.

The two girls are interrupted by JJ stirring on the baby monitor.

Rosaline sighs and rolls her eyes. "I wish JJ wouldn't be such a baby," She complains. "She's four years old and _still_ needs to use a baby monitor! Eli said I stopped using the baby monitor when I was two and a half! But Jenny is four now and she _still_ uses it."

"Come on now, Ros," Emily chides gently, already up and out of her chair. "Jenny is just going to take longer than usual to wean off it. Do you ever have bad dreams at night, Ros?"

"Yeah," The ten-year-old sighs. "I do. But Mom and Daddy always make me feel better."

"Well, for some reason, Jenny is having bad dreams too and it's always in the nighttime, and because of that, your mom and dad feel its best that they still use the baby monitor with her. Now, I'm going to go upstairs and check on her. Why don't you go pick out a movie for us to watch in the living room?"

"Okay, Em!" Rosaline heads to the living room and decides to put in her new movie _Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School_. Emily comes down shortly after with Jenny, and the three settle down for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

 **Here it is! I've never interviewed for a babysitting job, so I am not sure how it would go. However, I tried to keep it professional between Sandy, Michael, and Emily as they already know her personally.**

 **I am sorry it has been a while since I last updated. There are a couple of reasons for that such as, I have went back through and checked _all_ the chapters for spelling/grammar errors. I have also changed how JJ speaks, you may have noticed in this chapter (if not, please skim through the earlier chapters to see it). Doing that took time but I am finished with it.**

 **Also, I have been writing and writing and writing, and finally(!) I have chapters written ahead so you won't have to wait as long. I am now happy to say...I have SIX chapters written ahead of time. (woo! go me). So, please review and let me know what you think! 6 reviews get you the next chapter (yes, I am using bribery).**

 **Next Up: _National Bubble Bath Day_ \- Emily celebrates  105 Oddball Holidays with Jen and Ros.**


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